


In Your Life

by shannyfish



Series: In Truth [3]
Category: Arrow (TV 2012)
Genre: DrivingCanary, Established Oliver Queen/Felicity Smoak, F/M, Family, Family Drama, Family Feels, Family Issues, Family Secrets, Foundry, Gen, Married Life, Meet the Family, Queen International, Queen Mansion, Secrets, SpeedyArsenal, Team, Team Arrow, Team Dynamics, Team as Family, Tommy Merlyn is Alive, keeping secrets, olicity - Freeform
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2014-10-30
Updated: 2017-04-23
Packaged: 2018-02-23 04:41:26
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 20
Words: 76,639
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/2534558
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/shannyfish/pseuds/shannyfish
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Life continues for Felicity & Oliver and the rest of Team Arrow.  Things are going well, but secrets threaten to pull everyone's happiness apart.</p><p> </p><p>Picks up about five months after the final chapter of "In Truth".</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Morning Disruptions

"And smiles turn into laughs  
and laughs turn into kisses--  
and before you know it,  
the days turn into weeks--  
and the weeks turn into months.  
And you'll find yourself   
forgetting what it was like   
before they were in your life.”  
~ j.a.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Her laughter filled the dim room. She’d been woken up in the most delightful way possible. Oliver already had her feeling fully relaxed, relaxed enough that she felt like they should just spend the whole day naked in bed together. Felicity had her ear against his chest as he ran his fingers through her hair. Legs intertwined and sheets covered them here and there. Married life had been good, Felicity had thought, for both of them. Some things had changed, but a lot of things hadn’t. Their little family was closer than ever and Felicity didn’t think she’d ever been so happy before, though things with Moira still weren’t where they should be. 

“Can we talk?”

His voice sounded serious and so Felicity’s face turned serious as she lifted it from his chest to look at him. Felicity noticed that he didn’t look stern or upset or anything like that, he seemed happy…content even. Felicity prompted her head up, so that she was staring at him and though him sounding so serious brought her a little unease…there was something that felt so good about being open. It was really the only way things could work between the two of them.

“Of course we can talk,” Felicity told him quietly.

Oliver smiled at her and brushed his fingers along her cheek. “Don’t make that face… It’s not a bad thing… At least, I don’t think of it that way…”

“Okay,” she said quietly and just waited. 

They’d been married for months now and things had been good. It hadn’t been perfect, of course, they’d fought…but that normally was because of Arrow business. Okay, so all of their arguing had been because of Arrow stuff, but that wasn’t unusual as far as Felicity was concerned. Everyone had their problems and they were a couple that tended to spend so much time together that they were going to break somewhere. 

“The other day…I was thinking…” Oliver said slowly and quietly, his eyes on hers. “We never discussed having kids…”

Felicity’s eyes widened for a moment.

Kids.

She and Oliver.

Moira and Malcolm no doubt had had a plan in place before, but with all of that forgotten…she really hadn’t thought much about it. They’d enjoyed a very brief honeymoon and had hardly left the hotel room during that time. When they had come back to Starling City, it had been right back to business. Queen International and Team Arrow. That had been their lives. They, of course, spent time with their family…but they really hadn’t talked a lot about things like kids… Buying another bookshelf had come up though…

Bookshelves were important.

“I…” Felicity tried to put together a sentence, but it really wasn’t coming out right. “I…I guess I haven’t really thought about it,” she told him honestly. The last couple of years, her life had changed drastically than she’d ever thought it would have to be. Felicity wasn’t complaining, but that meant that she didn’t think of things like having a baby or getting a dog. It wasn’t that she’d never thought about it…she had… Their lives were complicated and dangerous. “I mean, I want a baby…eventually…I don’t know when…” She paused for a moment. “Can we do that, Oliver? Can we have that kind of a family? Kids?”

Oliver grabbed her hands and brought them up to his face and then kissed them as he stared at her. “You’ve shown me we can.”

“You’re the ARROW, Oliver,” Felicity reminded as she stared at him. 

In truth, Felicity couldn’t even FATHOM life without the Arrow or Team Arrow. They were needed, necessary even. What would happen to Starling City without them? She also couldn’t see Oliver hanging up his hood so easily. She didn’t think SHE could leave that life behind so easily, either. Team Arrow had become so much to so many of them… 

It had made life interesting.

Without it, she likely would have never met Oliver.

They would have never been married.

She’d be home alone in her townhouse watching ‘Robin Hood’ and eating mint chocolate chip ice cream. Felicity couldn’t think of returning to a life in IT at Queen Consolidated. It wasn’t that she was above it, she just couldn’t go back to how dreary and boring her life once was…

“We can figure out how to make it work,” Oliver told her. “As long as we work together, right?” He kissed her hands again. “We can do ANYTHING, Felicity… Anything.”

She knew he was right.

Her mind started to whirl at that thought. They really could do anything when they worked together. They had their own chosen family and when they ALL worked together, they really could do anything. Felicity bit her bottom lip for a moment and then leaned in and kissed him. It was a quick kiss, but it seemed to break the stun she had been experiencing. “You know…it takes a village to raise a child…”

Oliver laughed. “I think we have one of those.”

“We do,” she agreed with a smile and then kissed him again. 

“I just… I’m not saying we should have a baby RIGHT now, I just… I wanted to discuss it. For you and I to think about it,” Oliver explained. He just beamed at her. “It’s been a really long time since I’ve even thought about being a father… When I was younger, the thought terrified me…and who am I kidding? It STILL terrifies me, but I KNOW that you and I can do it together… I can see a future with you…us and children… A little girl who looks just like her mother…”

He dropped her hands and they moved into her hair. Fingers ran through her wavy blonde strands while he pulled her in for a kiss. It was so nice to think of. A life with Oliver…a happy one…kids that looked like them running around. 

Happiness.

It really wasn’t unthinkable. 

For the first time, in a very long time…that kind of happiness seemed like it was within their reach. She held onto him and forgot the world around them. Even if they’d not exactly decided on their future as far as children went, it was a step. They were taking steps TOWARDS that future and they were doing it together. They were also keeping their promises about talking about things. They weren’t keeping secrets from each other. 

The sudden and almost alarming sound of the doorbell interrupted their morning bliss and Felicity froze before turning to look at the red digital readout of the alarm clock at their bedside. “Oh my—“

“It’s okay,” Oliver said quickly and all too calmly as his hands ran down her arms.

“Oliver, this is the morning that we’re supposed to have breakfast and Diggle and—“ His kiss cut her off. Her mind spun as she thought about the time and how she hadn’t showered or dressed or anything. Everyone was at the door and they had no coffee or breakfast made. Today was their day to make breakfast for everyone. 

They had failed.

“Get in the shower, I’ll take care of them,” Oliver told her as he started to get out of bed.

Felicity let out a whimper as the warmth of his body, his skin pressing against hers, and his touches left hers. “Oliver, you can’t just send them away—“

“I’m not,” he promised as he leaned down and gave her another quick kiss. “Now, get into the shower…”

He was throwing on clothes and yelling at the door as she hurried to the bathroom and the shower. Felicity knew that Oliver was going to take things and distract people, but she still felt quite rushed. She hated being rushed, especially when it came to getting ready. Her hair did weird things when she was rushed. It had taken her months to the point where she could shower by herself, but the only reason she could was because Oliver was still nearby. For a long time, he’d just sit in the bathroom and then slowly he sat outside the bathroom door and then eventually…it was okay as long as she knew he was there. Though, Felicity knew that wasn’t entirely true. Her hands shook and her heart still raced, panic seemed to be at the edges of her being…ready to take over if she felt any form of anxiety.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Felicity had hurried through her shower and had dressed, but she’d been able to hear everyone which had just made her stress all the more. She hated to run late, but at the same time…she couldn’t complain. Her morning had been certainly eventful…and enjoyable. It was a special combo. Felicity had put on a bright pink dress with matching heels and then had just decided it was going to be easier to pin her hair up into a bun. It was still wet, but it would dry soon enough and hopefully it wouldn’t frizz or do anything too special since she’d sprayed it. Make-up at least didn’t take her long. Popping her glasses back into place, she left the bedroom. 

There was a knock at the door when she emerged and Roy was already getting it. Apparently a delivery of coffees and bagels were what was for breakfast that morning. She watched as Roy and Thea moved everything to the kitchen. Felicity found Oliver lounging on the couch, Diggle at the other end of it with Sara in his lap. Tommy was sitting in one of the chairs off to the side. 

“There she is,” Tommy announced with a smile when he spotted her.

Felicity returned the smile. “Sorry we’re running behind.”

“I figured Oliver was to blame,” Sara spoke up.

Oliver just smiled and shook his head. Felicity dropped down into his lap and then kissed him. “Your turn.”

“Make sure Roy doesn’t eat all of the bagels,” Oliver instructed quite seriously before he broke out into a beaming smile. He kissed her a moment later.

“Why is there always so much kissing whenever we’re here?” Roy complained. “If it’s not you two…then it’s Sara and—“

“You kiss Thea,” Sara defended quickly.

“Not normally in front of you.”

“And we thank you for that,” Oliver said as he moved Felicity into his spot as he got up from the couch. He and Tommy exchanged smirks before heading to their room. 

Felicity took the cup that Thea handed to her. She checked the cup and then smiled. Oliver had ordered everyone the correct type of coffee, each one was personalized and not just with their names. “Thank you,” she said before taking a sip of her coffee. 

“So,” Thea said as she continued to pass out coffees. “Do we get to know the REAL reason why this morning got derailed?”

“I really don’t want to know,” Roy mumbled.

Diggle just laughed.

“The…alarm clock didn’t sound,” Felicity lied…badly. She sipped her coffee for a long moment to try to hide her face as blush rose in her cheeks.

Tommy seemed to save her from any further questions about her late start morning when he spoke up. “I’m just reminding everyone that tonight is the dinner with Melanie.”

“I still can’t believe that you’re letting my mom host it,” Thea half complained. 

“I thought it was nice.”

Thea made a face. “It IS, but it’s just…most of us have been keeping our distances…”

“She came into Queen International the other day,” Felicity told Thea. “She comes by once a week to have lunch.”

“With all of you?”

Felicity nodded. “We can’t just all hate her… That’s not going to get us anywhere…” She paused for a thoughtful moment. “Plus, I’m pretty sure that’s bad karma.”

“She’s trying,” Tommy spoke up.

“Why do we have to dress up?” Thea questioned.

“Probably because your mom commands it.”

Felicity wasn’t too thrilled about the dinner being at the mansion, but at the same time…they really did need to mend fences. Moira was still Thea and Oliver’s mother…and her mother-in-law. She was trying and they had to try too. Like Thea, Felicity wasn’t excited about the whole dressing up bit to it. It wasn’t just looking nice, it was floor length dresses. She didn’t know why that was so necessary for a dinner. “It’ll be fun,” she spoke up and tried to be hopeful. She didn’t miss the confused and almost disturbed face that Roy made. 

“Are you sure you want us all there?” Diggle asked.

Tommy nodded. “We’re a family…I want my family to meet Melanie…and Clarke…”

“Clarke?” Thea and Felicity asked in unison. 

Felicity watched as Tommy clearly tried to form the correct words to string into a sentence. It wasn’t like Tommy to lie, especially to her and Thea. He’d been so happy, though, since Melanie Walsh had come into his life. She’d actually thought about doing a full background check…well, one that was more extensive than the normal kind. She’d held off though since there just didn’t seem to be any problems. They’d done the double lunch date thing here and there and though Felicity didn’t feel like best friends with Melanie…she’d always felt like she was a nice person and could see them being friends. She could also see Melanie as Tommy’s wife. He really deserved to be happy, she thought as she stared at him as she and Thea (and likely everyone else in the room) waited for an explanation. 

“What did I miss?” Oliver asked as he walked through the living room and towards where his coffee and the bagels were sitting. “And why isn’t anyone eating?”

“Tommy was just about to explain who Clarke is,” Thea spoke up. 

“Who’s Clarke?” Oliver questioned as he turned to look towards Tommy. 

“Clarke Walsh,” Tommy filled them in. “She’s Melanie’s daughter. She’s six. She’s a good kid. Likes to wear sparkly shoes.”  
 Melanie had a child.

Why hadn’t Tommy told them earlier? It didn’t make sense to Felicity, but then she realized. Between the lot of them, they didn’t have a lot of secrets or private moments. It just seemed odd to her, but it was Tommy’s life and she knew that the thing they needed to be most concerned was was that he was happy and that he was okay. Tommy Merlyn was a different man than he’d been a decade ago or even two years before. He’d died and had been resurrected. He had two half sisters now that he’d never known about growing up. There was a lot to being Tommy Merlyn.

“I didn’t tell you about Clarke because I didn’t want judgement and I—“ Tommy paused for a moment, his eyes were on all of them. He wasn’t upset, but he wasn’t thrilled either. “I wanted to know for SURE that Melanie and I were serious before bringing up Clarke.”

“You’re REALLY serious about her, aren’t you?” Felicity whispered. She wasn’t surprised, but maybe it was just something that needed to be said. 

“I AM,” Tommy confirmed. “I’ve actually thought about asking her to marry me…”

“Another proposal!” Sara announced and then smacked Diggle. “Slacking!” she teased with a laugh. 

Oliver came and joined her on the couch. “You know we’re happy for you, if you’re happy, Tommy. No matter if that means that I get an instant niece.” He smiled at Tommy and it reminded Felicity of how happy she was that Oliver and Tommy had become friends again. Oliver had been different since Tommy had been back…it was for the better. They really just supported each other and that’s what they needed to do in this instance. They needed to support Tommy.

“Wow…I just thought about how awkward that will be,” Thea spoke up.

“Why?” Roy asked.

“Because Thea and Felicity can’t be public about being Tommy’s sisters,” Oliver said matter of factly. 

Tommy nodded slowly for a moment. “But I figure that she’ll realize how close we all are and it’ll sort of explain WHY we ARE as close as we are. She’ll understand in a way, how our family works.”

Felicity felt sad all of the sudden. She had known for some time that she couldn’t publicly be Tommy’s sister. In fact, she’d made that decision clear when Merlyn wanted her to take the Merlyn surname back on the boat. It was still hard, though. Melanie would be part of their family and they wouldn’t be able to tell her the truth. Felicity just hoped that all of the secrets they had to keep wouldn’t make Tommy and Melanie’s relationship more difficult. He’d obviously have to keep normal hours, which meant no more helping out in the Foundry. It was selfish, but Felicity liked those times. She liked to think of it as her chance to make Tommy a little more educated in her field. Only a little, though.

“Congrats, Man,” Diggle spoke up.

Felicity stared down at her coffee cup for a moment and it hit her. She felt like she was losing Tommy. She knew that that was stupid because she wasn’t. It was just that she’d just gotten Tommy…she hadn’t grown up with him. Now, things were changing. Felicity just didn’t want to lose her brother that she’d grown so fond of. It was hard, but Felicity knew that she really wasn’t going to lose him. It was just going to take time to convince herself of that. “Don’t worry,” Felicity finally spoke up. “We’ll be on our best behavior.”

“Why is everyone looking at us?” Thea exclaimed.

There was laughter and Felicity suddenly realized that she was the only one NOT focusing on Roy and Thea. She’d lost herself in that moment. She’d just have to make sure that she worked to ensure that the evening went smoothly, which meant no bumps with Moira. So far, they’d seemed okay since the wedding. That didn’t mean anything though. She hated to be doubtful or suspicious because it seemed paranoid, but Felicity felt like she could NEVER fully trust Moira. At any moment, she could change her mind and Felicity could be her target again.

“Because you two are normally the ones who start stuff,” Sara explained.

“Not true!”

Tommy laughed. “I think it might be a little true…”

“Don’t even start with a story from when we were little!” Thea shouted at Tommy, there was a smile on her face as she shook her head.

Everyone laughed at that.

Tommy and Oliver seemed to bring up when the three of them were little a lot now. Sara had even shared a few stories. Sometimes it made Felicity feel more connected to that time that she never had and other times it made her feel farther away. Today, though, for some reason she was feeling overly emotional. She didn’t know why. 

“I’ll be right back,” she whispered to Oliver before setting her coffee down and heading into the bedroom. 

Felicity closed the door to the bedroom softly, her hand against the door. She took a moment to breathe and to try to keep herself from crying. If she cried, make-up was going to run everywhere…and not only was she going to have to fix her face, but she was also going to have to calm herself and clean her glasses. She moved to the bathroom just as the tears started to fall. Felicity looked at her reflection just long enough before giving in to the sobs that racked her chest. She pushed the door shut, but didn’t hear it click. She didn’t care, the door was close enough to being closed. Her back hit the wall and she slid down until she was sitting on the floor.

What was wrong with her?

Felicity set her glasses aside and grabbed a tissue to wipe tears away. Maybe she needed more sleep or maybe she was getting sick or…or maybe a hundred other things. She didn’t feel like she was really upset because of Tommy. It made her a little sad, but that wasn’t the reason. Not the REAL reason.

She didn’t know it.

There was a soft knock on the door after some time. “Felicity?” Sara called. 

Sniffling, she tried to dry her tears and knew that she had to look red and possibly puffy. She supposed that it was better than Oliver walking in. He’d worry over her all day if he had found her like that. “Yeah? I’m okay,” she whispered.

“Can I come in?” 

Felicity let out a shaky breath and then a sigh. She rubbed her forehead. “Yeah.” She looked up as Sara opened the door and peeked in. 

“Hey, what’s wrong?”

She was half surprised that it wasn’t Thea, but then she normally got caught up in conversations with Tommy and Oliver or just with Roy. She was far more observant with less people around, though Felicity liked to think that she’d hidden her upset well until she’d gotten to the bedroom. “Nothing,” she lied. Her voice was shaking and she shook her head. “I—I don’t know… I’m crying for no reason, I guess…”

“Oh Felicity,” Sara said and sat down next to her. She wrapped an arm around Felicity and gave her a quick squeeze. “There’s a reason…maybe you just need to think a little more…”

Felicity laughed lightly as she pushed away more tears. “All I can think is how I feel like I’m losing Tommy, but that’s not why I’m crying…”

“He’s not going anywhere,” Sara reminded. “You get to see him AND Oliver EVERY single day. Whether you like it or not, it’s now your job to keep those two in line.”

She laughed again. Felicity nodded and wished that she knew why she felt so emotionally out of control. “I probably just need more sleep…”

“You should take a half day,” Sara suggested. 

Felicity smiled and looked at her. “That’s so tempting, but there’s so much to do at Queen International before dinner tonight…”

“Well, then give yourself a break… Leave a little early… You and I can come back here and get ready without feeling hurried. At least that’ll be a little less weight.”

“I guess—“

“Felicity? Sara?” Oliver called quietly. He was at the doorway to the bathroom a moment later. “Everything okay?” 

Felicity looked to Sara, before they both looked back to Oliver. How did they explain this? She didn’t want him to worry. It would be a whole day of him worrying and wanting to ask questions, but not. Felicity knew that he wouldn’t push unless he felt like it was necessary. 

“Yeah…just cramps,” Sara explained like it was nothing. It was also a lie. “You know, hormones… I’m just going to head out,” she said as she got at her feet and then looked back at Felicity. “I’ll stop and get you some Pamprin, so you can make it through the day.” Sara turned to Oliver as she passed him. “I was just telling Felicity that she and I should leave a little early today, so we’d have a little extra time to get ready for tonight.”

“I think that would be a good idea,” Oliver said as he looked between them. “You work too much anyways…”

“I’ll see you guys there,” Sara said before disappearing. 

Felicity got to her feet, grabbing her glasses, and moving to the mirror to see the damage. She smiled and let out a light laugh. “Let’s face it. You’re the one who works the most…”

“It’s not the same kind of work that you do,” Oliver told her as he walked up behind her. She stared at their reflection in the mirror. “The Arrow stuff… It’s almost muscle memory…but everything with the company… You know, I’m just not as qualified as you are. You do so well with all of that. If I didn’t have you, I’d be lost and the company would be gone…”

She took a minute to touch up her make-up, it wasn’t as bad as she’d imagined before she finally turned to face him. “You’re doing just fine… Walter’s really the one—“

His fingers lifted her chin until their eyes met. “YOU, Felicity, are the reason why Queen Consolidated lives on in Queen International. If it wasn’t for you…everything would have crumbled by now. If it wasn’t for you…maybe I wouldn’t have you or Tommy or Thea…” 

Her eyes started to glaze over again, but she told herself that she wouldn’t cry. Felicity nodded and found his lips on hers. She knew all of that. She did. It was just that she always felt like she didn’t do enough. Now she had training, she could go out into the field and help…but she hadn’t so much in the past couple of months. It wasn’t that she didn’t want to, she just hadn’t. She’d been needed more in the Foundry. 

“I love you,” Oliver reminded.

Felicity smiled and kept the tears at bay. “I love you, too.”

“If you need to—“

“No, we’re going,” she insisted as she put her glasses back on. Felicity grabbed his hand and pulled him with her. “Let’s go… I’m determined to break a record and to make it through a year with you EARLY to work EVERY single day.” 

Oliver laughed.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…


	2. Girl Talk

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> NaNoWriMo is on, for those who don't know! For those who don't know what I'm talking about November is National Novel Writing Month. During the month of November you write 50,000 words (which is supposed to equal a novel length story). So, I'm working on that. That's why there hasn't been any updates for a while. November means that updates are about ten times slower... But I will be trying to get at least one update for the three stories I have open between now and my birthday (Tuesday). :) Also, how excited were we about "The Secret Origin of Felicity Smoak"?

“You know you don’t HAVE to watch the clock,” Felicity said as she went through her e-mails again. She knew exactly what time it was and they had five minutes until the time they’d agreed that they’d leave Queen International. Sara, apparently, was determined to leave right on time. Felicity had attended to all of the other company work and really…checking the e-mail was a filler for her. She didn’t need to do it. 

Sara smirked. “I have an alarm set.”

Felicity let out a little laugh and pushed her glasses up on the bridge of her nose. “So do I,” she told Sara. As much as she didn’t want to go early because it wasn't like Oliver or Tommy were leaving early, but at the same time…she did want that extra time at home to get ready. 

“If we left the office now…by the time the alarm goes off, we’d be down in the parking garage.”

So tempting.

Maybe it was that she felt more responsible now or maybe it was just because she felt guilty already leaving early, but Felicity couldn’t bring herself to even leave a second early. “Just a couple more e-mails.”

“You could check those from your phone.”

She was right.

Felicity sighed. “I just—“

“Tommy and Oliver aren’t going to be mad if you leave a couple minutes earlier than we had planned,” Sara told her. “And if they are, you can blame me… They’d believe it. Plus, it’s true.”

Felicity smiled at that. That was a truth for sure. “Fine,” she finally conceded. “But what about your dress?”

“Don’t worry,” Sara told her. “I’m driving…and I have a plan.”

She knew better than to argue with Sara, especially when she had a plan. She was a good friend and Felicity was happy that they had become friends. At first, Felicity remembered that Sara had been a person that Felicity felt like would be a lot like Laurel. Sara would be this gorgeous, strong woman, that had this past with Oliver…and a connection… But Sara was more than all of that and she definitely wasn’t like Laurel. She wasn’t toxic when it came to Oliver, which was one of the reasons why she thought that Laurel was going to do better in Central City…at least she hoped so, she felt like she needed to move beyond all of the bad stuff in their pasts. Oliver had shown Sara how to live again. They all had. Sara had taught Felicity to be stronger…and had shown her that she WAS a valuable part of the team even before she could defend herself. 

There was definitely a sisterly relationship between the two of them, but it was different than her relationship with Thea. Maybe it was because Sara had been a part of Team Arrow and that’s where their friendship had started… Whatever it was, Felicity was glad that they were close. She didn’t think that she’d be able to function if it wasn’t for all the support. 

“I even have discussion topics picked out,” Sara told her.

Amused, Felicity got up from her chair and pulled on her coat. She grabbed her purse and walked over to where Sara was now standing. Holding out her hand, she gave her car keys to Sara. Diggle and Oliver would be following in a while, Diggle would be driving Oliver home. So, at least she didn’t have to worry about that. “What kind of topics?”

“Oh, all kinds,” Sara responded as they headed towards the elevator. “I have to make sure that I’m up to date on all the family drama… You know, figure out where we stand on things… Gossip maybe…”

“Gossip?” she asked even more amused now. 

Sara shrugged with a smirk. “We could probably figure out something…”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“What are our thoughts about Tommy?”

“I’m happy for him, of course,” Felicity responded quickly. She took a moment to think about the rest of her response. “Melanie seems nice, though now I’m wondering if I should have dug into her background a little…” She had been tempted before, but she hadn’t wanted to taint how happy Tommy was. He deserved to be happy…and he deserved to live a relationship without people looking into things behind his back. 

Sara smirked. “I’m actually a little surprised you hadn’t.”

“There just didn’t seem to be a need.”

“She has a kid.”

Felicity shrugged. “I think Tommy would be good with a kid.”

“You’re right… He and Oliver were kids for so long…”

“You mean like most of their lives?” she teased. Okay, so it was sort of the truth. It really wasn’t until recently (the last couple of years) that either one of them had to really be serious about life. 

“Pretty much.”

Tommy and Oliver could be extremely serious, but they still could could trouble like ten year old boys in a heart beat. It was good though. Having Tommy back, it had changed Oliver. She’d seen it more and more over the last couple of months. They both needed it. They allowed each other to have fun and be a little silly. It was a good change for both of them. It kept them from being too serious about themselves and life in general. 

 

“Well, we’ll see how things go tonight,” Sara spoke up. “Though, I wouldn’t be surprised if Tommy’s the next one married…”

Felicity smiled at Sara’s reflection as she curled another strand of her hair. “What about you and Digg? Is it even up for discussion?”

Sara shrugged as paused momentarily from applying her make-up. “You know, John and I really don’t need any of that…but I will admit…it would be nice… If only to feel like we have this tiny normal aspect of our lives…”

“You mean besides coming to work at Queen International?”

“Let’s face it, YOU are the one who does most of the work there… Oliver and Tommy try to pull their weight, but you’re the one who’s really doing the most work. John and I are just around make sure there’s nothing too crazy that happens and to do what needs to be done.”

“It’s a TEAM effort,” Felicity told her. She stared at Sara for a moment and then turned back to their reflections. She was still and silent for a moment. “Oliver brought up having kids today…” she whispered. Felicity felt like she HAD to tell SOMEONE. Sara seemed like a good person to discuss it with, she felt like Thea would be too bias. There was also the fact that Sara was more like Oliver and she tended to have a perspective close to what Oliver would have…or at least that’s how Felicity felt. 

Sara was quiet and didn’t answer right away. She seemed to think about it before finally speaking up. “Oh? And what came from that discussion?”

“I don’t know,” she said slowly. “I mean…yes, eventually…but I guess I just can’t picture having a baby now… I can’t see how that would fit into our world.”

“You’d be a good mom, you know,” Sara told her. “I can see it. Ollie would be a good dad… We’d all figure it out, make it work.” She paused for a moment as she finished her mascara. “You can’t stop living just because of Team Arrow stuff, you know that…”

“I know.”

“So?”

“I just… I think I need time to really think about it,” Felicity explained. “Is that silly? I haven’t thought about it for a while and it just felt like we were starting to really have things where they need to be with Team Arrow, with Queen International, and with my marriage.”

“No, it’s not silly… Kids are a big deal… Things are different in all kinds of ways…”

"It just…the world seems so dangerous."

Sara nodded. “We’re working on making it better.”

“It doesn’t feel like it’s FAIR to bring a child into this world…not yet…and Oliver and I have so much that needs our attention—“

“You have time, Felicity. It’s not like you need to decide tomorrow, right?” Sara questioned.

“Right,” she whispered. Felicity sighed. “It was just a very unexpected conversation.”

“Look at it this way. You’re the FIRST person in Oliver’s life that he’s actually WANTED to initiate conversations like that…that’s a huge step for him. Just be happy about that…”

Felicity smiled and felt a little more at ease. She knew that Sara wouldn’t be bias and could easily be tactfully truthful. That’s what she needed right now. With the dinner that they’d be attending tonight, she just needed a friend to talk to. She knew that dinner would be challenging and Felicity could hash all of this out with Oliver a different day after she had some time to really think about what she wanted.

“Is that why you were so upset this morning?” Sara asked after a minute.

“No,” Felicity replied and looked over at Sara. “I think I just was overly emotional… It’s probably PMS…” She was allowed to say that because she was of the female gender, the guys had learned early on not to ever bring that up as an excuse when one of them were rather moody. Roy was really the one who was still learning that. 

Sara shrugged. “Well, you know I’m here if you want to talk.”

“I know…and I appreciate it,” Felicity told her as she finished adjusting her hair. She heard the front door and knew that Oliver and Diggle were there. Just in time, too, since they were done with the bathroom. Now they just needed to get into their dresses, which they’d put off until it was closer to the time they were going to leave. No need to be wrinkled. “Snack?” 

“Are you sure you’re going to be okay tonight?”

“With Moira?” Felicity questioned even though she knew that was what she meant. “Yes, I can be civil…and I’m sort of hoping that Walter is there… Plus, I’ll have you and everyone else, right?”

“Right.”

They packed up their make-up, brushes, and everything else they’d cluttered the bathroom counter with. “I’m still sort of surprised that Moira is making such a big deal of this dinner…”

“It’s pretty much the first dinner she’s having at her house since the wedding, isn’t it?”

Felicity zipped up her make-up bag and stowed it. “Yeah, I guess…” Though they’d been having lunches with Moira, this was the first time they’d be having a big family dinner at the house since the wedding. Moira just hadn’t invited them and Felicity just hadn’t brought it up…and she was fairly sure that Oliver hadn’t brought it up because he still wasn’t sure how to take things with his mother. Thea was still angry, but Felicity knew…and hoped…that that anger would ease over time. Moira really was the only parent that Thea had left and really, she was lucky. 

As they walked through the bedroom making their way towards the kitchen, Oliver and Diggle met them halfway. Kisses were exchanged and it was decided that Diggle was going to shower first, which meant that Oliver would be joining them for coffee and a snack for the time being. “So, we could play a game of cards while we wait,” Sara suggested once they were all settling in the common area of the townhouse. 

“Should I be worried about how long Digg’s going to take?” Oliver asked and seemed amused.

Felicity started the coffee machine and pulled out some cookies. It really wasn’t the best pre-dinner snack, but it was what Felicity felt like having. She grabbed one and started to eat it as she listened to Sara and Oliver. It was like it was just hitting her, exactly how much she DIDN’T want to go to Queen Mansion for dinner. 

Sara laughed. “Well, he’s alone in that shower…so it shouldn’t take him long.”

“There really IS such a thing as TOO much information,” Oliver reminded.

“I think marriage has made you a prude, Ollie.”

“Felicity?”

She was staring down at the cookies that she’d arranged on the plate that she’d set on the island counter. It wasn’t until Oliver lightly brushed along her arm that she even realized that she’d zoned out. Now Oliver looked concerned and she really didn’t know what to say, but luckily he spoke first.

“You okay?” Oliver questioned quietly.

“I was just thinking…”

“If you don’t want to go…”

“No,” Felicity said quickly and snapped out of it. She looked at Oliver and pushed a smile forward for him. “No… It’s just… It’s been a while since we’ve had dinner with your mom…at the house…and—“

“You’re worried about how she’ll act? Because I doubt she’ll do anything with Melanie and her daughter there…”

Felicity ran her hand down his arm before he pulled her into a half hug. He pressed a kiss to her forehead and she knew that he really had to be worried about her. She was obviously having an ‘off day’. “It’s actually… I was thinking about Malcolm…” Her voice was so quiet that she wasn’t even sure if Oliver would be able to hear her. 

“You don’t usually talk about him,” he whispered after a long moment. 

“I usually don’t think about him,” she admitted. “But…I mean, I know he was a horrible person…it’s just in the end—“

“I know,” Oliver interrupted. “In the end…he was a hero. He was your father and he was trying to be a better person…even after everything he did.”

“But when we all first were allowed to be back in Starling City, he’d always make appearances at Queen Mansion…and then he and your mom would plot…” Felicity rambled. “It was horrible, but I don’t know why that makes me miss him…”

“You’ve been wearing the bracelet that Thea made you for the wedding all week.”

Felicity looked right at him, a little shocked that he’d noticed. It was Oliver, he noticed things, but she hadn’t made a big deal of it and she didn’t think that she’d been fidgeting with it. “I didn’t think—“

“I didn’t want to say something in case it was nothing,” Oliver told her. “I figured that you’d say something when you were ready…or you’d talk with Thea or Tommy…”

“Thea's still pretty sensitive on the topic of both of her parents…” Felicity said as she shook her head a bit. “And Tommy… I… I honestly have no idea how he’d take me talking about Malcolm with him. He just finally seems like he’s in a good place.”

“There’s always me,” Oliver reminded. “You can talk to me about anything.”

“Or me,” Sara spoke up. 

Felicity had nearly forgotten Sara was in the living room, she was sitting there on the couch waving at them. It really wasn’t that odd for them all to talk about relationship stuff in front of each other. They were a family and though they had their problems here and there, there was definitely always someone that you could confide in. “I know,” she said as she looked between them. “I think it just really hit me that he was on my mind… It just… It doesn’t seem right to miss him…”

“I get it,” Oliver told her quietly. “But it IS okay to miss him, Felicity.”

She nodded and stared at him. Felicity was glad that their relationship was so tight, that they could talk about absolutely anything. There was something so reassuring that he seemed to understand, even though she really didn’t. “I love you.”

Oliver smiled at her, his hand cupping her cheek before he kissed her. “I love you,” he echoed before placing another kiss on her lips. “Don’t you ever forget that…”

“You guys are so cute,” Sara commented.

Felicity smiled against Oliver’s lips. Sara was so quiet, it was easy to forget that she was watching. She’d never been one to complain when there were public displays of affection, probably especially because she was often guilty of it. Blush rose in her cheeks and she looked to where Sara was sitting.

“What?” Sara asked. “It’s a compliment.” She paused for a moment. “You know, if you need me to leave the room…so you two—“

Oliver laughed. “No, no…”

Her face rested in the crook of his neck, blush heating her entire face. No matter how close they all were, there were some things that she still found slightly embarrassing. Mentioning her and Oliver’s sex life was definitely one of those things. Plus, it was one thing to talk about that with Sara without Oliver here…but quite another with Oliver there.

“I was just offering!” Sara told them. “The shower stopped, by the way, might want to knock and see if John will let you shower while he gets himself dressed. We know guys don’t take quite so long to get ready.”

“You two aren’t even dressed.”

“The hardest part is done,” Felicity told him with a smile as she straightened and motioned to her hair and face. 

“You look beautiful no matter what,” he told him before kissing her quickly and crossing the room towards their bedroom door. 

Felicity smiled and moved to the couch with her coffee, settling in next to Sara. An arm wrapped around her and she rested her head on Sara’s shoulder. “I think I’m having a day,” she said aloud with a sigh.

“You’re definitely having a day.”

“How am I going to make it through dinner?”

Sara let out a light laugh. “Hopefully without killing your mother-in-law.”

“Wasn’t planning on it.”

“Wowing your future sister-in-law?”

Felicity let out a sigh. Touchy subject. “The future sister-in-law and niece that can never know that they’re that to me OR Thea?” she questioned. “I don’t know what it feels like I’m cheated them… We’re all so close…”

“Even without them knowing you’re all related, you’re still the wife of Tommy’s best friend,” Sara pointed out. “Plus, she’ll just have to understand that we’ve formed our own little family.”

“I know. It’s still hard, though.”

“You’re going to make it,” Sara assured. “Because we’re going to be together…” There was silence that passed between them for a few minutes. “Though, she might be jealous of how hot we’re going to look tonight…and our arm candy…”

Felicity couldn’t help, but laugh. Sara hugged her tighter for a moment. She felt better. She knew that she wouldn’t be alone, so there was that. Felicity had a feeling that once they were at the mansion that she’d be fine. It was just a bad day and she was going to get through it. Her whole family was going to be there, so if she needed a moment or something…someone would cover for her. It was an important night for Tommy, she knew that, she just didn’t want to screw anything up. 

“You know what we should do after dinner?”

“Crash?” Felicity offered.

“We should all stop and get ice cream and then come back here for movie night,” Sara suggested. “It’s been forever since we did that.”

“Oliver and I were going to patrol after dinner,” Diggle spoke up as he joined them, still tying his black bow tie. It was a black tie event, so everyone was going to be dressed up. 

Sara sighed. “Of course you are.”

Felicity sat up straighter and watched him. “We can’t have ONE night off?”

“You can—“ Diggle started.

Sara shook her head and interrupted. “Yeah, I’m pretty sure if you two go out, then Felicity’s going to be worrying that we’re not with you or at the Foundry in case you need back up.”

“Roy might go?”

“You’re not helping your case.”

Diggle smirked and shook his head. “Don’t have to worry about us.”

Felicity looked at Sara and then they both looked to Diggle. “Didn’t you all end up with holes in you and bleeding the last time it was just a guys’ night?” It really wasn’t a question because she remembered that night. She and Sara had sewn them up while Thea gave a lecture and Felicity had been thankful that Tommy hadn’t been there. She swore that trouble was just better at finding them when it was all guys out. 

“What’s one more scar?”

“You know that they actually have a medical record of exactly what percentage of Oliver’s body was riddled with scars after Lian Yu, right? I’m pretty sure over twenty percent is the number.”

“It’s still over twenty percent,” Diggle teased.

Felicity glared at him for a moment. 

“You guys can have a night off,” Sara spoke up.

“But we were going to patrol,” Oliver said, now joining the conversation.

Felicity swore that he and Diggle could shower, which was probably more like rinsing, and changed far too quickly nowadays, but it was something easily picked up she supposed. “Can’t we wait and make that decision later?” she asked as she got to her feet. It was time for her and Sara to slip into their dresses and put on heels. No more walking around the townhouse barefoot. As used to wearing heels as she was, it was sometimes such a luxurious feeling to walk around without shoes on. 

“It won’t be for long,” Oliver told her.

She didn’t say anything more, but wasn’t pleased about it. Felicity didn’t want to fight, though. There was already enough emotional response from her today and she just didn’t feel like she could deal anymore. She was more than ready for the day to be over. This was important though, their dinner with Tommy’s girlfriend and daughter. There was no missing it. 

Pushing the bedroom door open, she didn’t even look behind her to make sure Sara was coming or to see if Oliver was following her. Felicity was just trying to focus on what she needed to get done and the time. They were on track, but they were going to need soon. Sighing, she unzipped the dress bag that held the dress she was going to wear for the evening, it was red and she loved the back of it. 

“You okay?” Sara questioned once the sound of the door clicking shut sounded.

“Just frustrated…and tired,” Felicity admitted as she looked back at Sara. She’d already seen her grey and silver beaded dress. It was beautiful and she couldn’t wait to see Sara in it, it wasn’t like Sara wore much in the way of dresses normally. Turning back to the dress, she started to strip down into her undergarments, tossing them into the hamper before unhooking the dress from the hanger after she’d unzipped it. Carefully, she stepped into it and found herself being zipped up. “Thank you,” she whispered.

Sara, she saw, was just stepping into her dress. Felicity was slipping into her shoes and then checking to make sure that the dress laid correctly via her reflection. A moment later, Sara came up behind her and fixed her curls on one side, the side that she’d been resting on Sara’s shoulder, and then smiled. “You look beautiful,” Sara complimented.

“Thanks,” she said and then turned to her. “Let me zip you up, so we can go…” 

“Do you want a couple of minutes alone with Oliver before we go?” Sara questioned as Felicity zipped her up. Sara held her hair up and looked back at her over her shoulder. “We could head down to the car first.”

Felicity sighed and was just thankful that she didn’t look exhausted. Of course, make-up did help with that. “No,” she finally replied. “We’ll just have to figure it out later.”

Sara wrapped an arm around her. “Well, then, we better get out hot selves out there and head over to make Melanie jealous.”

Shaking her head, Felicity couldn’t help but to smile in response. “Fairly sure that I really don’t want nor need my brother’s girlfriend to be jealous of me.”

“It’s still great fun,” Sara told her with a grin. She guided Felicity out of the bedroom and Felicity just hoped that dinner went off without drama and hopefully with everyone loving Tommy’s girlfriend and her daughter. 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to follow me on twitter @shannyfish for updates and sneak peeks!


	3. Secrets Kept

Walter being at the mansion when they showed up was a godsend. Felicity really wasn’t sure if she’d be able to endure a dinner at the Queen Mansion if Walter had been absent. He just did such a good job at balancing out Moira and keeping the peace. Plus, Felicity just loved listening to him talk. In a way, Walter really felt like a surrogate father to many of them. 

“I’m so glad that everyone’s able to make it,” Walter greeted. He grabbed Felicity almost the moment she entered and hugged her first before moving on to shake Oliver’s hand. He greeted Sara and Diggle a moment later. “It’s so good to see you all…and I cannot express how gorgeous both of you look,” Walter said. 

“It’s good to see you, Walter,” Oliver told him. 

Felicity was fairly sure that every single person was going to feel better once they saw Walter. “I wasn’t sure that you’d be here tonight…”

“I wouldn’t miss a big family dinner for the world,” he told her. “Come along now… The others are all already here…” He motioned in the direction that they were to go and then took Felicity’s arm as they walked further into the house. “It’s been too long…”

“Too much work for all of us,” Felicity told him. 

He wrapped an arm around her. “You and Oliver really should take a proper holiday and let Tommy handle the company for a week or two. You know that I’d be more than happy to assist him while you two are away.”

It was such a sweet offer, but of course, there was more than just Queen International, it meant two less in the Foundry. She knew that it could all be handled, but it wasn’t just her decision. It was something that she needed to talk over with Oliver. Felicity actually wouldn’t mind it. They’d been so busy and even though they’d only been married for less than six months, she felt like they really needed the time for them. Right now, there just didn’t seem like enough time in the day and she almost wondered if that’s why she’d been having such a rough day…if it was because she was just getting run down with just being overloaded.

“That’s really sweet of you,” she said with a bright smile. “I will definitely talk it over with Oliver.”

“You do that,” Walter told her and separated from her as they reached the living room where every one else was gathered.

It looked like they were gathered for some kind of gala, but it was just family dinner, which made it sort of weird. Felicity reminded herself that they had to put on an act for Melanie. Tonight she was just Oliver’s wife and Tommy’s friend, nothing more. Thea was Oliver sister and Tommy was Oliver’s best friend…they couldn’t be her siblings around Melanie. It broke her heart a little as she reminded herself of that fact. She launched herself towards where Tommy was with Melanie and a little girl that had to be Clarke as they talked with Oliver. A smile was firmly in place and she pulled in a good deep breath as she approached.

“Hi there,” Felicity greeted as she looked towards Melanie. “It’s so good to see you again.”

“Felicity, let me introduce you to Clarke,” Tommy said as he put his arm around the little girl. 

She looked a lot like Melanie, the same bright eyes and brown-copper hair. Her hair was curled and it was clear to Felicity that she was enjoying being dressed up, though the rest of them probably not so much, but Clarke kept holding onto the hem of her skirt and would twirl a little here and there. “Hi there,” Felicity said as she crouched down, so that she was at the little girl’s level. “I”m Felicity. It’s good to finally meet you.”

“I like your dress.”

Felicity smiled at her. “I love yours, too.”

“It’s like a princess,” Clarke told her as she spun a bit in the dress, holding the skirt out as far as she could. 

“You definitely look like one.”

“I’m missing a crown,” Clarke argued.

Felicity nodded slowly. “Maybe I could fix that for you.”

“Really?”

Clarke had lit up almost immediately. All Felicity wanted to do was to make that night special for Tommy, Melanie, and Clarke. This was a big deal and if she couldn’t be Tommy’s sister, then she still wanted to make the best impression she could as Tommy’s best friend’s wife. Felicity nodded. She was fairly sure that she had a necklace, costume jewelry not anything crazy expensive upstairs, and she was sure that she could pin that to Clarke’s head and it would be close to a crown. 

“You don’t have to do that,” Melanie said quickly.

Felicity shook her head. “It’s really not a problem—“

“Time for dinner,” Oliver said as his hand touched Felicity’s arm.

It seemed soon, but she was certain that Moira had the night scheduled. She looked over at Clarke. “It’s going to have to wait, I’m afraid. Remind me later, though, okay?” she said with a smile. 

“Okay!" Clarke said quickly.

Felicity wasn’t sure how dinner was going to go, but she knew one thing. She liked how happy Tommy looked. He, Melanie, and Clarke looked like a perfect little family and they all deserved it. Tommy had been through hell and brought back from death, he deserved peace and happiness. With Malcolm gone, the company merged…all of the weight of the Merlyn empire wasn’t solely on his shoulders. They were all bearing that weight, just as much as they were with the Queen family’s legacy. It was all a lot for one single person, but it wasn’t just on one of them… It was a lot easier to manage when it was Oliver, Felicity, Thea, Tommy, and the rest of Team Arrow. No matter what, they were all a team. Even if their surname wasn’t Queen or Merlyn, they were still one family. 

And family was what mattered.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“I’m so glad that everyone could get together for dinner,” Moira said delighted. “It’s been so long… This big house get so lonely when it’s just me.”

Felicity didn’t miss Walter reaching out and covering Moira’s hand with his, it brought a small smile to her face. She loved Walter and he made Moira so much more bearable. She actually really hoped that they got back together. She knew that there was a lot of history and lies in the past between them, but Walter was the only person who seemed to make Moira even a little bit happy these days and he still seemed to love her. Felicity also liked to think that Robert Queen would have liked to have known that his children had a father figure even if it couldn’t have been him.

“Maybe we should plan this dinners more often,” Walter spoke up.

The only big problem with that, of course, was that it was interfere with Arrow business along with likely their Arrow schedule. It still seemed so silly, but it was the best way for them all to have time off at night and be able to have the relationships they had. Felicity just didn’t want to have to give up any more of her alone time with Oliver than she already did because of having to work later at Queen International.

“Maybe we can talk about it at lunch next week,” Oliver replied. “If you’d like to join us, Walter?”

“I’d be delighted.”

Lunches.

It wasn’t like Moira didn’t see her, Oliver, and Tommy on a weekly basis, though she supposed that she missed seeing Thea as well. With none of her children living at home and them all busy with their own lives, she could see how it could get extremely lonely even if you were Moira Queen with all kinds of projects to keep busy.

Oliver took her hand and squeezed it. She looked over at him and gave him a smile. Felicity really would rather be spending the evening with Oliver. Really good take out and then the rest of the night wrapped in each other’s arms under the sheets of their bed. There just wasn’t enough time for them sometime. 

“You know, it’s been so long since children have been in this house,” Moira brought up a while later. “It was such a wonderful thing to hear.” 

“Clarke’s not usually so loud and excitable,” Melanie said, almost apologizing.

Felicity was certain that Melanie Walsh was just as terrified of Moira Queen as the rest of the world was. Of course, Felicity knew that that was certainly a smart thing to be. Moira was definitely not one to be messed with in any way. She could make your life hell, but Moira was just so excited about Clarke and how happy Tommy was…Felicity didn’t see Moira going after Melanie in any way.

“You know, I would love hear the sound of children in this house more,” Moira continued a moment later. “Grandchildren would be lovely…”

Grandchildren was something that everyone knew that Moira wanted. Neither Oliver nor Thea had quite figured out how to fit that element into their lives. She and Oliver had JUST brought up that topic. Felicity still didn’t know how she felt about it. About a baby. How it would all work. She’d thought about it. She’d thought a lot about it, but she was fairly sure that her biggest fear was for her and Oliver to become distant if she had to back away from the Arrow business in order to take care of the baby. 

“I volunteer Tommy,” Thea spoke up quickly. “He’s practically a Queen.”

Tommy nearly spit out the wine he’d been drinking and shot a look towards Thea, who just seemed even more amused than before. If she and Thea couldn’t be his sisters to everyone, it didn’t mean that they couldn’t ACT like sisters. Thea definitely had that down. “I—I um—“

“It’s okay, Tommy, none of us actually expect you to have a grandkid next month,” Sara spoke up with a small smile. It was clear that about everyone else except Tommy was enjoying the sudden change in direction with things. 

“That takes nine months,” Thea added.

Laughter spouted out and Tommy just shook his head, but a firm smile on his face.

“I hope you don’t mind my daughter’s forwardness, Melanie,” Moira half apologized. “We love Tommy so dearly. He DID spend much of his life in this house…and I think even when he wasn’t here, he was with Oliver. I DO think of him like another son…and I am very happy that he is so happy with you and Clarke. You can’t blame us for hoping that we see a wedding…and children.”

“Don’t forget those grandkids,” Thea echoed.

At least the spotlight wasn’t on them, so Felicity was thankful for that. She just needed time to think and process and she was certain that Moira would bring it up to her and Oliver in more of a one on one situation soon enough. That was what the world seemed to expect even if the world evolved and women were in positions of a company. Moira still expected that she have the family that she wanted. 

“I think that it’s so nice that Tommy has such a nice family here with all of you…” Melanie told them with a smile. “You’ve all been so nice and welcoming…”

They were a family.

There was somewhere deep in Felicity that really appreciated Melanie saying that out loud. It made her feel a little better about things, especially all of the change that she knew would be coming. Of course, Tommy was going to Melanie. He would be crazy not to. They’d just all have to learn how to balance their secret life with the one that had to be public. 

“Nothing is more important to me than family,” Moira told her with a smile.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

After dinner and dessert, they were all heading out of the dining area. Moira had ordered additional socializing. Walter had left towards the end of dinner, he said it was work related, but that he’d be back. Moira had seemed a little worried, but Felicity was fairly sure that the rest of them were more worried about him not being there to ease things over. 

“Is there going to be dancing now?” Clarke asked, she was practically hoping. 

Felicity was certain that the rather large piece of chocolate cake probably wasn’t going to help Clarke with her hyperactivity. She was still adorable, though. 

“Normally we only open the ballroom for big parties,” Moira told Clarke.

“But I’m sure we could open the room, Mom, right?” Thea asked Moira. “I’m sure I could hook up some music to dance to.”

“Of course, I’ll have the staff open the ballroom—“

“Moira, can I have you for a moment?” Walter’s voice filled the room and everyone turned to see Walter peeking into the room. 

Moira looked to all of them. “Just a moment, Thea—“

“I’ll have them open the room then,” Thea said with a smile.

At least Walter was back, Felicity took that as a good thing. She wondered what was going on, but Felicity was certain that they’d probably find out after Melanie and Clarke left. Whatever was going on, they probably just didn’t want to say anything in front of them and ruin Tommy’s night, especially since it had been going so well. Everyone seemed to love Melanie and Clarke and it was clear that they both made Tommy so happy. 

He deserved to be happy.

Once Moira had left the room with Walter, she turned back to Tommy, Melanie, and Clarke. She’d wanted to have some more time to chat with Melanie since Moira had insisted that they socialize more. 

Clarke turned to Felicity, she was still bouncing. “You said that you had like a crown I could wear,” she whispered. “You said to remind you, so I’m reminding you.”

She hadn’t forgotten. 

Felicity looked to Tommy, a smile on her face. “I’ll be right back. I just want to run upstairs and get something.” Even though she and Oliver lived at their home, there were still a few things upstairs in the room that had once been hers at the mansion. She moved away from them and motioned to Oliver, who was talking with Roy, Diggle, and Sara, that she’d be right back. 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“He can never know!”

“Moira, Oliver deserves—“

Oliver’s name was what had caught her attention as she’d been making her way past Robert Queen’s old study. Walter and Moira were being rather loud and she just couldn’t not overhear them. When it came to Oliver, Felicity knew that Moira liked to keep things secret and Felicity just felt like she needed to know what they were talking about. If it had to do with Oliver, then it had to do with her. 

Felicity wouldn’t let Moira threaten their happiness.

“He hasn’t known for THIS long. Could you imagine what would happen if Oliver found out that I kept his son from him? That I paid off that woman—“

“You can’t always be thinking about how it’s going to affect you, Moira.”

A son.

Oliver.

Oliver had a son.

Felicity felt like she couldn’t breathe for a moment. Oliver had a son? Oliver had a son that he didn’t know about… Moira had apparently paid off the mother, most likely to keep quiet about said son. Her eyes watered as she tried to think about how she was going to tell Oliver about it. She couldn’t keep this secret. She wouldn’t. Felicity and Oliver weren’t keeping secrets.

But wow…

This secret.

It would change everything.

A son.

“Well, what am I supposed to do? They finally don’t all hate me! Could you imagine if this came out?!”

“It all happened a long time ago, Moira. If you explain it to Oliver…”

“I can arrange for the boy to be placed in a boarding school in Europe. Give him the education he deserves—“

“Moira! He’s grieving! He just lost his mother! Are you really going to take away his family?! He’s YOUR grandson!”

The weight of this secret.

She wouldn’t keep it secret, but still… Just to hold onto it for these mere seconds…it was too much, too heavy of a burden. Felicity really couldn’t breathe. She was starting to feel lightheaded and reached out to steady herself. Instead, her hand pushed against a vase, when she tried to stop it from falling, Felicity was the one who ended up on the ground and the vase ended up smacking her temple. It was definitely loud enough for Moira and Walter to hear, as they came out a moment later. The world was spinning and her vision started to blur. The vase wasn’t broken, but she could see the blood on it as she pushed it weakly with her fingers. Felicity blinked wildly as her mind raced with thoughts. 

This secret. 

Oliver’s son.

It would change everything.

Everything for Oliver.

Everything for her.

Everything for them.

The door was pulled open and Walter was immediately crouching down at her side with Moira looming over her. Felicity didn’t know what to think, but as hard as she thought about what was going to happen…the thought of Oliver having a son out there…a motherless son…was all that could hold her focus. 

A son.

“How much do you think she heard?” Moira asked Walter.

“It doesn’t matter right now,” Walter told her, his attention on Felicity. “Felicity? Can you hear me? Can you say something?”

“Oh my— What can I do?” one of the servants asked as she approached. Felicity knew that her name was Raisa. Oliver cared a lot about her, she’d helped raised him and he had never forgotten about that. Raisa was crouching down, checking on Felicity before anyone could say anything. “Should I get Mr. Oliver?”

“No, no,” Moira said quickly.

Felicity wanted to talk, but she couldn’t. Her head was spinning and pounding all at the same time. She just couldn’t handle it. She lifted her hand and tried to touch Walter’s arm. Though Moira might seem to want her dead, she knew for sure that Walter did not. He was always the one who was defending her and she was certain that she could count on him to do the right thing right now.

A son.

Oliver had a son.

“Let’s get her up to bed,” Moira said after a moment. “We wouldn’t want to ruin Tommy’s night.”

“She needs a doctor,” Walter spoke up, firmness in his voice.

“Raisa, can you call the doctor? Ask him to come in the back door? We’ll make sure Felicity makes it upstairs.”

Felicity watched as the servant moved away from them and she tried to get words out again, but they just couldn’t. 

Secrets.

Lies.

Old secrets.

A child.

A son.

Oliver’s.

After a moment, darkness just took her over and she didn’t fight it.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

When she woke, Walter was there sitting at her bedside. Tears immediately started to fall from her eyes as she remembered what had happened…and WHY it had happened. She’d been born into a world of secrets and lies, but never had to live into it…not until recently. It was hard. She wasn’t a person who kept them, especially not from Oliver. Secrets ate away at your soul and Felicity just didn’t want to have secrets between her and Oliver… It had never worked before and she knew that it would never work now that they were married. Honesty was so much more important now. 

“How are you feeling?”

“Like everything’s going to crumble around me,” she whispered as she closed her eyes again. 

“That’s not going to happen, Felicity,” Walter said so believably in his beautiful voice. 

She wanted to believe him.

She did.

It was hard, though. Felicity KNEW the secret and she knew that it would change things. Even IF Moira was the one that told Oliver, it was still going to change everything. It had seemed like they’d just finally gotten into a good place, well…as good as they could get. When it involved Moira Queen, her not plotting your death on a daily basis meant that you were in a pretty good place. 

“Oliver has a son.”

She could tell that Walter had been waiting to see how much she’d exactly known. Felicity wondered if Moira was downstairs trying to cover for her. There was likely a cover story, for Melanie and Clarke’s benefit. Felicity didn’t want to ruin Tommy’s night, though, even after they went home… She just hoped that they were all driving together and that Tommy wouldn’t be staying behind. He didn’t need to know about any of it until later. 

“Yes, so it seems,” Walter told her. 

“Did you know?”

Walter sighed. “I suppose I know many of Moira’s secrets… Some of them I knew before the Gambit went down…and some I was informed of after we’d been married for some time…” 

Felicity slowly sat up in bed, her head was spinning, but she leaned back against the headboard and stared up at the ceiling and it wasn’t so bad. She only felt slightly like she was going to throw up. “I can’t keep it from him… He DESERVES to know…”

“I agree with you,” Walter said gently. 

Her eyes closed and she let more tears fall. This was going to be so hard. “But Moira doesn’t want to tell him—“

“What Moira WANTS is not always what is right, Felicity,” Walter said as he reached out and took her hand. “The road to hell was paved with good intentions… Sometimes Moira forgets that… What she did, she did a long time ago…and Oliver was very different…he may have been an adult at that time, but he was not yet a man. I think you understand what I’m saying.”

“That doesn’t make it easier, Walter,” she told him as she looked over at him. 

It didn’t.

Felicity was fairly sure that nothing would.

“I know, Dear,” Walter told her. “But it MIGHT make it easier for Oliver to accept now…”

It was true that she didn’t know Oliver growing up, so she really couldn’t be a completely verify what he was saying was true… But Felicity HAD done enough research on Oliver’s past and she KNEW exactly how far the Queens would go to protect both of their children, so she knew that she wasn’t surprised by this new development. The more she thought about it, the more she really felt like she should be shocked that there weren’t other children that had come out of the woodwork. 

“There aren’t any other secrets about Oliver that I should know about, are there?”

Walter tilted his head from one side to the other. “Not that I can think of right now.”

“No other hidden children?”

“Not that I know of.”

She really wasn’t sure whether to be relieved by his words or worried that there were others out there that Moira had hidden. Felicity wasn’t normally one to go in and hack for information on her mother-in-law, but she was going to make an exception. Felicity needed to know who Moira was paying off and why. She was fairly sure that she could also find out information on these people…if she could figure out the mother of the child…then maybe she could look up some information on her, too. 

“Not really that comforting,” Felicity told him.

“I’m sorry I don’t have more to tell you.”

“I have a way of figuring out things when I really want to,” she whispered.

Walter nodded. “I have faith that you’ll do what you think is right.”

“Moira HAS to tell him, Walter…”

“I’m going to go down and check on things,” Walter told her. “The doctor will be here quite soon. We just want to make sure that you don’t have a concussion.”

Felicity just nodded. She didn’t know what else she could really do. Once Walter was gone, she looked around and wished that her phone was up there, so that she could start looking up the information that she was going to find. Sighing, she leaned back against the headboard again, looked upward, and then closed her eyes a moment later.

How were they going to get through this?

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…


	4. Family Secrets

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to follow me on twitter @shannyfish for updates, sneak peeks, and conversation! <3

Felicity didn’t know what time it was, but eventually the house seemed to be heading towards bedtime. It was weird for Felicity since she didn’t plan on staying there, she wanted to go home. The doctor had come by and checked her out and proclaimed that she had a mild concussion. Raisa and Walter had both fussed over her. No one else had been up to see her. Walter had assured her that he and Moira were going to talk to Oliver…but that felt like hours ago…and she’d been alone since then.

She was fairly sure that she mostly felt sick because her mind kept spinning on the hard to take fact that Oliver had a son out there. All she knew was that Oliver had a son, a son that was somewhere between four and eight. Walter didn’t seem to know his exact age. He really didn’t seem to know much except the facts that Felicity had overheard. Moira paid off the mother, who lived in Central City with the boy, and now she was dead and the boy was all alone in the world. 

Things needed to be set in motion and Felicity needed to see what was going on. She needed to make sure that Oliver was actually being told the truth and she needed to be there to support him. Felicity was thankful that she still had things there because Raisa had helped her change from her formal dress and into a pair of practical pajamas. As she sat up, she let out a groan. Felicity’s head pounded, more so now that she was sitting up. No matter, she needed to find Oliver. She also really wanted her phone. 

Curling her legs back towards her, she pulled off the socks once they were in reach, she was going to go look for Oliver and didn’t want to risk slipping and possibly falling. Since she’d already fallen, she really didn't want to try for a repeat. Felicity turned, her legs slipping over the side of the bed. Sliding forward, the bottoms of her feet hit the floor. She paused for a moment, then shifted weight on it as she got to her feet. She grabbed the nightstand, her button bracelet that she wore on most days slid to the floor a few feet from her. 

Sighing, Felicity took a moment to steady herself before she took steps towards the bracelet. Bending down, she scooped up the bracelet and slipped it back onto her wrist. She fingered one of the buttons for a moment. Drawing in a breath, she took a moment to try to relax…to focus…before she headed out of the bedroom. 

“Ms. Felicity…you should be in bed,” Raisa said gently. She intercepted Felicity only upon one step out of the bedroom. “You are lucky that you didn’t even require stitches…or a visit to the hospital. Mr. Oliver is so worried about you…”

“That’s who I was looking for, Raisa,” Felicity said with a small smile and hoped that that would allow her to pass. Raisa was so kind, she had been the one member of that house staff who had always been especially kind to her. “I was hoping to go home…”

“It’s so late…and your dress isn’t wrapped to be taken home,” Raisa told her as she took Felicity’s arm. Instead of turning her around and sending her back to bed, though, Raisa started to accompany her down the hallway. “I am sure Mrs. Queen would be more than happy for you and Mr. Oliver to stay here tonight.”

Felicity patted Raisa’s hand where it rested on her arm. “I’m sure she would…but there’s just something so much better…and more healing…about sleeping in your own bed.”

“Ah, yes…” Raisa smiled at her as they walked. “You know, I have worked for the Queen family for some time… Working here requires me to keep secrets and believe me, Ms. Felicity…there are MANY secrets when it comes to this family.” Her words paused for a moment before she finally continued. “I know that you understand the abundance of secrets that comes with this family. So many secrets and so much loss…” Her voice got sadder. “Mr. Oliver has been through so much… I was so happy when you two finally got married… I am certain that you two will start your own family soon.”

Felicity just stared at her for a long moment. There was just something about the way Raisa said the last sentence that caught her off guard and like Raisa knew something…or something. Felicity couldn’t quite put her finger on it. It was the tone, for sure, but maybe it was just how Raisa was. “Uh, Oliver and I are discussing things…”

“Of course, of course,” Raisa told her. Now Raisa was the one patting Felicity’s hand. As they neared where Moira, Walter, and Oliver were (you knew they were there because their voices were all loud). “This is where I leave you. Will you be okay?”

Smiling at her, she nodded. “I’ll make it okay,” she assured. Felicity’s arm was unwrapped from Raisa. “Thank you.”

“It is always a pleasure for you, Ms. Felicity.”

Felicity watched as Raisa went for a moment and wondered all of the secrets that Raisa must know, all of the ones that she’d heard during her time there at the house. She didn’t know how Raisa could live with all of those secrets, Felicity had a hard enough time not telling Oliver something right away…let alone hold onto it for decades…

From the loud ‘discussion’ that seemed to be going on, Felicity was fairly certain that Moira had told Oliver about the son that she’d hidden away from him. She sucked in a deep breath and took a step forward, her fingers rubbing the buttons on the bracelet. This news affected her, too, and she knew that Oliver needed the support. Her support. In all honesty, she needed him, too. They needed each other. 

“Felicity,” Walter announced her as she stepped into the room.

Oliver was pacing near the fire place while Walter and Moira both sat in elegant wingback chairs. Moira looked heartbroken and desperate while Walter looked like he was trying to keep calm. Oliver, however, looked like he was about every emotion possible. He stopped when his eyes met hers. “Hey,” he breathed as he crossed the room to her. “How are you feeling?”

“I’m okay,” she lied as his arms wrapped around her. Felicity clung to him and didn’t want to let go. Her eyes closed and she tried to keep the tears at bay. She was so scared and worried about him…about them…about everything.

“You know,” he barely whispered.

She didn’t even vocalize her response and instead, she just nodded against him. Felicity heard him pull in a deep breath and his hand went to her hair. “How are YOU?” she questioned as she took a step back.

His eyes…they almost looked broken to her and that hurt. Felicity wanted to make it better for him. She knew that she could tell him that it would be fine, that everything would work out, and that they could just take in this child…that it wouldn’t change anything. That was a lie though. It was going to change everything. “I…I don’t know…” 

It was honest.

An honest response.

“We can’t do anything tonight, right?” she asked him and then looked towards Moira and Walter.

“No,” Moira simply responded.

A beat passed before Walter spoke up. “The boy is being looked after in Central City tonight. We are supposed to call in the morning, though.”

“So,” Felicity said as she turned her attention back to Oliver, taking his hands in hers. “For tonight. Let’s go home.”

“Felicity—“

“I can’t drive…concussion…” Felicity told him and pointed to her head to illustrate her point. “Remember?”

Oliver nodded after a moment and hugged her again for another minute. “Okay,” he finally spoke up. “Let’s go home.”

“We will talk to you in the morning then?” Walter asked.

“We will call you,” Felicity said as she turned to where Walter and Moira were seated. That way, they wouldn’t feel pressured to give a response at any moment. Felicity knew that this decision was important and that, of course, they had to think of the grieving child involved, but she also knew that this was a lot for Oliver…and her…to take in and process. With that, Felicity guided Oliver away from his mother and Walter, headed towards the front door. They knew the way out and Felicity knew that they just needed to go.

Tomorrow would be a new day.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Normally, their home was their sanctuary. Tonight, it was just a place to figure out how their future was going to be affected by a secret. There was tension and anger and tears and questions and… There was so much… Too much… 

“We don’t have to talk about this tonight,” Felicity told him. 

They had changed for bed and Oliver’s head was in Felicity’s lap as she sat in bed. Her fingers ran through his short hair and against his scalp as she stared down at him while he stared off at the wall or something else. “It’s not fair…to you…”

Felicity sighed. “Oliver, you have a son…”

“I know, I can’t—It doesn’t seem real…”

“You’re all he has, Oliver—“

“That’s not true—“

“Oliver—“

“I just… We JUST got married, Felicity… We were just discussing starting a family and now—“

Felicity frowned as she stared down at him. “Do you want my opinion on this?”

Oliver’s eyes turned to hers. He looked scared. “Yes.”

Biting her lip, she thought for a moment. She wanted to say the right things, but more than that…she wanted to speak thoughtfully. “It—this child—YOUR son…he’s going to change everything. Our lives are going to be different.” She paused for a moment. “He’s going to mean that you’re going to have to focus more on him than on me…than on being the Arrow…than running Queen International.” Felicity ran her fingers along the side of his face. “But he’s your son and you’ve missed so much time with you already… He’s lost his mother… And if anyone knows what it’s like to lose a parent, it’s you…”

“I wasn’t so young—“

Felicity shook her head. “It doesn’t matter. You understand how precious it is. You understand that no matter how old you are, it hurts…” She sighed. “Am I ready to be a mother? I don’t know. Is it going to change things? Yes… I don’t even know how we’re going to juggle everything AND a child. But Oliver, we have the space… We have that other room and we haven’t even done anything to it, yet…” Felicity had a feeling that Oliver had been hoping that they’d turn it into a nursery…but that wasn’t going to happen now. She wasn’t sure how they’d be raising this boy, but they’d do it. It was the right thing to do. It was far more than just for the poor boy or that he was Oliver’s son, it was because he was family…even if they hadn’t met him yet.

“I just don’t know if—“

“You asked me about having a baby, Oliver—“

“This is different.”

“I know,” Felicity argued quietly. 

“You don’t have to—“

“He’s your son, Oliver, which makes him my family, too…”

Oliver just stared at her for a long while. “Are you sure?”

“Yes.”

He was quiet again for some time. “We should call my mom—“

“Tomorrow…”

“But—“

“It’s late, Oliver,” Felicity told him as she leaned down and kissed him. “We can tell her in the morning.” 

So much was about to change.

“Sleep now.”

“I don’t know if I can.”

“Neither do I,” Felicity mumbled as she reached out to switch off the light. She set her glasses on the nightstand and settled down in bed, Oliver now pulling her into his arms. “But tomorrow is going to be a long day.”

Possibly the longest day of their lives.

Tomorrow.

Everything changed.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

She didn’t know how long she’d been asleep, the first thing that had hit her was that Oliver wasn’t in bed next to her. Even though she felt like she was being held down by sleep, Felicity pushed herself up into a sitting position. “Oliver?”

Silence.

The room was still dark and she looked over at the clock to see that it was nearly four. She’d just fallen asleep about an hour before. She wondered if Oliver even slept. “Oliver?!” she shouted as she looked around. Felicity was so exhausted, she felt like it might be dangerous for her to even get to her feet, like she wouldn’t be able to keep herself upright. 

Silence.

Tears ran down her face and she started to panic. “Oliver?!?!” 

“Felicity?” Oliver’s voice came back.

It was then that she realized that the shower had been running. He turned it off and he was wrapping himself in a towel and hurrying to the bedside before she could open her mouth to say anything else. Felicity sucked in a breath and then wiped the tears away. The night before had just been so much. They’d gotten home late, nearly midnight…and then they’d stayed up for hours talking about what to do. What was right to do. What needed to be done. She’d even brought out her tablet and looked up Oliver’s once girlfriend and had been able to find pictures of her with the boy, the boy that was Oliver’s son. It had hit home a little more then. 

“I—I just woke up and you—you weren’t here…” she tried to get out as best as she could.

Oliver sighed. “I couldn’t sleep.”

Obviously.

She didn’t know how she COULD.

Concussion.

It was that vase’s fault.

It obviously wasn’t as mild as the doctor claimed it was. 

“I’m surprised I fell asleep.”

“I think it was more like passed out.”

And he was right.

Discarding the towel, Oliver crawled in under the sheets with Felicity and pulled her close. She didn’t argue and practically melted into him. Felicity’s arms wrapped around him as his enveloped her. He was so warm and smelled so clean. Felicity’s forehead pressed against his chest, she closed her eyes, and just breathed in the smell of him. His fingers moved through her hair and it was just so relaxing.

“You need to sleep,” Oliver told her after a few minutes.

“We both do,” she countered.

Oliver pulled the blankets tight around them, making it like they were in such a nice warm cocoon. “Sleep for a little longer, I hadn’t meant to wake you…” he whispered as he kissed the top of her head. 

Felicity made a pleased sound, cuddling until she was in the most comfortable position in Oliver’s arms. “Only if you sleep with me…”

“I’m here…” he whispered. “I’m always here.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The two of them had slept for about another hour and a half. It was a lousy amount of sleep, but they’d gotten up and prepared for the day by showing together and then getting dressed. Oliver had put on coffee and once he’d gotten her her cup, he’d gone to stand by the window. He’d stared out that window for so long. Felicity hadn’t questioned it though as she sat curled up on the couch. 

“Felicity, there’s still time…” Oliver spoke up quietly, his gaze still firmly fixed out the window.

She twisted her position on the couch for a moment to check on him. He hadn’t moved. He almost seemed like he might be a statue. “I’m not changing my mind,” Felicity told him. She had a feeling that he wanted to give her every ‘out’ possible, every chance. The thing was, Felicity was fairly sure he was doing it because HE was scared. She didn’t blame him, she was scared too. 

A big change was coming.

“Do you want me to look up more information?” Felicity asked. She didn’t want to just do it. She wanted it to be Oliver’s choice. It was a lot for her, but she knew that it impacted him differently. He needed to process and cope and figure out how he was going to handle it all…and before they called and talked to his mother. So, Felicity didn’t want to push.

Oliver sighed. “This is all so hard…”

“I know,” she whispered.

He looked over at her and she knew that all he’d been doing was thinking about the same thing. “I know WHY my mother did it…and let’s be honest, it was PROBABLY the smart thing to do at the time, but…” Oliver said and his voice trailed off.

“Maybe you would have been different?” Felicity supplied. She could see that. She didn’t know that much personally about Oliver’s past, but she did know that there was change in him… So, it was definitely possible. 

“I don’t know,” he whispered. “And I probably would have been a horrible father—“

Felicity had thought of all kinds of possibilities IF Oliver had known about his son. If he’d known about the woman he’d gotten pregnant, if he’d known that she hadn’t lost the baby. The biggest thing that had stuck out to her was that he likely wouldn’t have gotten on the Queen’s Gambit and he would have never been missing for those five years.

He would be a completely different person.

She would have never have met him.

He would have never been the Arrow.

Times like these were when she believed in fate.

There had to be a reason for this.

There had to be.

“Oliver, no matter if you were there his whole life or not, you WILL be a great father,” Felicity told him. “I have faith in you.”

Oliver made his way towards her. “How do I explain this to him? He’s little. What if he doesn’t understand?”

“What he WILL understand is that he’s going to have a home and he’s going to be somewhere safe,” Felicity told him. And she hoped that it was true. They had no idea if this boy would accept them or what his mother had told him about his father. 

“I want to believe that.”

“Then believe it,” Felicity told him as he sat down on the couch next to her. She moved to wrap herself around him. All she wanted to do was be his support and to hopefully ease what would come later. Felicity moved and kissed his forehead before pressing hers against his. Eyes closed, she whispered to him. “Believe ME.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Since neither one of them had slept much at all, though Felicity had slept an extra hour on the couch in Oliver’s arms. She was still blaming the concussion. She and Oliver had decided that this was all going to be a lot better if they just headed to Queen Mansion. Why make the phone call when they knew what they were going to do? The ride over, Oliver drove and Felicity could barely keep her eyes open. 

“You’re exhausted,” Oliver stated as he stared at her as they sat out in front of the mansion in the car.

Felicity nodded. “But I can catch up on sleep later.”

“I’m sorr—“

“Don’t apologize for this…”

“Felicity—“

“I love you,” she told him as she reached across and squeezed his hand. “We’re going to be okay. I want you to know that.”

Oliver nodded and squeezed her hand back as he stared at her. “If we’re together.”

“We’re together,” she confirmed. “We’re always going to be together. ALWAYS.”

“You ready?”

“As ready as either of us can be,” Felicity told him and unhooked her seat belt. She had a feeling that he would wait for her to make the first move. So, she made the first move. It was hard because in all truth, she didn’t want to go into that house. She didn’t want to push forward just yet, it was still so scary…but at the same time, she thought it was silly to be scared of a little boy who wasn’t even there yet. 

They walked together, hand in hand up to the front door of the mansion. Moira had always told them that they were always welcome, Oliver still had a key, but this time…it felt like they needed to knock. It wasn’t like they had to wait long before they were greeted by one of the members of the house staff. 

“Don’t you have a key still?” Moira asked.

Walter was in tow as Moira walked towards them, meeting them just after they entered the door. Felicity had texted Moira that they were on their way when they were halfway there, so it wasn’t like they were completely showing up unannounced. Felicity had noted that Moira had sounded worried and her face certainly conveyed the same emotion. They had all worked so hard to bring their family together…and now, it would be so hard if this was what ripped it apart. 

Moira had a grandson.

A grandson that she’d never met.

It had to be hard on her too.

“I think I left it at home,” Oliver lied. 

“I assume that you two have talked things over,” Walter said. 

“We have.” Oliver almost sounded angry as he responded. Maybe it was because this was a secret that Walter had kept as well. 

Felicity squeezed Oliver’s hand and looked up at him. “We’ve talked it over extensively and we came to a decision. One that we hope that you will both honor.” She looked back to them, Walter seemed his normal calm self while Moira seemed nervous. 

“Of course, we will, right, Moira?” Walter said confidently in his lovely British accent before looking over at Moira.

“Right… Yes, of course,” Moira pushed out. It wasn’t like Moira Queen not to know exactly what to say. It wasn’t like her to seem unsure of her words. It was so weird for Felicity to see her like that. Uneasy.

“We want to go to Central City to pick him up and bring him home,” Oliver announced. “He’s going to live with Felicity and I…”

Moira nodded quickly as tears fell down her cheeks. “But you know, of course, that if you need more room—“

“We have two bedrooms,” Felicity spoke up.

Their home really wasn’t a place that Walter or Moira had been to. Everyone else had been to their house, but not them. Maybe it was because it was their sanctuary or maybe it was just because it wasn’t as fancy…or maybe it as because Felicity had always felt like they needed to have some distance from Moira. It wasn’t like it was a secret, she knew where they lived. They just always went out or went to the mansion for dinners and such things. 

“You both work,” Walter reminded. 

“We’ll work it out,” Oliver told him. “It’s not like we can come up with a perfect plan today…we have no idea about him yet…and we won’t get a feel for that until he’s had time to grieve…to get to know us…to get used to living with us… There’s a lot… And we’ll figure it out as we go.”

“But if you need help, Oliver, I want you to know we’re here. We’re here for anything…” Moira insisted. 

Oliver just nodded. They’d had a long talk about things the night before and Felicity had reminded him of it on the way over. He needed to keep his emotions even for right now, as much as he could do that. Felicity knew that that was going to be tricky and even challenging, but right now…that’s what needed to be done. 

“We just needed to have the call put into the lawyers and whoever is providing care for him in Central City…” Felicity told them. 

“You want to go there NOW?” Moira asked a bit slowly.

Felicity nodded.

“It’s just now eight, have you even had breakfast?”

“We had coffee,” she responded. It was really all she could keep down and/or stomach at the time. 

“Will you at least allow us to arrange for a car to take you?” Walter questioned. “Mr. Diggle and Ms. Lance perhaps could accompany you…”

“No,” Oliver said quickly.

Felicity reached out and touched his shoulder. She stared at him and this was one of the times in their marriage that she was going to override him. He wasn’t thinking clearly and they both needed sleep. The thing was, neither of them had told anyone. Diggle and Sara needed to know, but so did Tommy, Thea, and Roy. But if they were going to go and meet Oliver’s son in Central City, it would be better done if they both had sleep beforehand. 

“We were going to just take the train,” Felicity told her. Her voice was gentle, quiet, and calm. “But it might be a better idea if we drove… It’ll likely be just as quick, with the added benefit of privacy…” 

Oliver started to argue. “But Digg—“

“John won’t mind,” Felicity pressed as she looked at Oliver. She turned to look at Moira and Walter. “Maybe if we could take a bigger vehicle, though?”

“I know that it’s probably a bit…much, but if you took the limo…it would offer the additional space while allowing you the opportunity to have a conversation…if he’s up to it,” Walter offered gently.

“It IS a lot,” Oliver said slowly.

“But Walter’s right… And it would give us more opportunity to rest on the drive out there rather than on the train,” Felicity reminded. “You NEED the rest…we both do…”

“Fine…okay…” Oliver whispered with a nod.

The fight, for once, was out of him. She knew that. He needed the sleep. He was emotionally and physically exhausted beyond any other time she’d known him to be. They needed that drive to recoup. “I’ll make the phone calls, okay?” Felicity offered.

“And we can make arrangements from here for anything that needs to be moved or stored,” Walter offered. “Furniture or the like.”

Felicity moved her hand from Oliver’s arm and moved away from them in order to make the right calls. She headed out of the house. First, she was going to call Sara…because she and John were likely together. After that, she’d put in calls to Thea and Tommy. Roy would find out through Thea, so really…it all worked out. She sucked in a breath and then put the phone up to her ear as it rang. “Hey Sara. I have a really big favor…”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So, it took me even longer to finish this because I was trying to research the name of Oliver's baby mama. It looks like she's Sandra Hawk from what I've seen online. I was just trying to figure out whether the kid will be named Conner or not. I like to be correct when possible. :) Not sure how everyone else feels about that kind of thing.


	5. Connor Hawk

“Felicity—“

“It’s just a quick stop, Oliver,” Felicity told him. “I need to use the restroom…and I need coffee…and you need coffee…and you could use some water splashed on your face…and I could use a brush going through my hair…”

They’d been driving for some time. The both of them had managed at least an additional hour of sleep and though neither had eaten anything, Felicity could tell just from looking at Oliver that he seemed better. The closer they got to Central City, the more okay with it she felt like she was getting. That meant nothing, though, she knew. It wasn’t real yet. It might not even be real when she came face to face with that little boy. 

It would hit her.

Eventually.

The change would hit her like a truck.

It would come.

The door opened and in popped a head, blonde hair cascading down. “John’s gassing up,” Sara said. “You need coffee?” 

Felicity pressed forward a smile and grabbed her bag. She started to slide out. “Yes. I’m going to get out and stretch…”

“I think we could all use a break,” Sara told her as Felicity got out. They both turned back to where Oliver sat in the car. “You coming?”

“In a minute,” Oliver responded quietly.

“Suit yourself,” Sara told him before linking arms with Felicity and heading towards the store. “At least this place has a coffee shop a few doors down… It SHOULD be descent stuff. I don’t know about you, but I need snacks…”

“Not sure that I can eat,” Felicity confessed.

“It might make you feel better.”

“Or it could make me feel worse… I doubt that John wants to have to pull the car over, so that I can throw up…”

“John will do anything I tell him to do,” Sara told her with a bright smile. She guided her towards the bathroom without a question. “Whether it’s the music we’re listening to or how fast he’s pulling that boat over to the side of the road.”

Felicity gave her a small genuine smile. “Thank you.” She paused and realized she should probably clarify why she was thanking her. “For coming.”

“Of course,” Sara told her.

They took their time, even though it wasn’t the nicest of bathrooms, it was certainly going to be larger than the coffee shop one (if it even HAD a bathroom). Felicity actually removed the bit of make-up she’d put on so much earlier that morning. She’d brought a small make-up kit with her. She wasn’t one that wore tons of make-up, so taking what she needed to freshen up and even redo it all was a fairly small package and a quick process. She had her glasses set on the sink. Taking a moment, she splashed cold water on her face and just let the cold seep into her skin. 

It felt good.

She still didn’t feel better, though.

Her stomach was knotting. 

Her hands rested on either side of the sink as she let her head drop as she just breathed. She knew that she could handle what was coming so much easier if she didn’t feel like crap. This was the worst time to feel horrible, she told herself. She needed to be strong, Felicity knew that. 

“You don’t have to hold the weight of the whole world on your shoulders, you know,” Sara said quietly. Felicity didn’t even move. Sara had seen her vulnerable before. It didn’t bother Felicity for Sara to see her in that state. Actually, other than Oliver and Diggle…Sara was probably the one that she felt the most okay with falling apart in front of. “You and Ollie are a lot alike in that way… You probably learned that from him… Bad habit to pick up.”

“I just keep thinking that if I didn’t feel so sick then it would all be better,” Felicity confided. “Last night… All I thought would be the biggest thing that I’d have to deal with from Moira was her requesting grandchildren…not to find out that she already has one…that Oliver already has—“

“I know.”

“I don’t know how it’s going to work,” Felicity confided as she looked up, staring at Sara in the mirror. She turned around to face her, she didn’t feel like she could cry anymore. Not only would it just wipe her out even more, but it wasn’t going to help anything. The last thing she needed to deal with was her face becoming all blotchy because of a breakdown. “Oliver’s discovered a son. His son has lost a mother. How do I fit into it all? How do I make it all work without being in the way?”

Sara’s arms wrapped around her and held her tight. For a moment, Felicity felt like it was too tight, but really…she needed it. “You’re going to all be okay,” Sara whispered into her ear. “You two are strong…and you’re going to be good parents to this kid… That’s what he’s going to need. You might not be his mom, but he’s going to need one just the same. You and Oliver are more than capable of doing this… The rest…we’ll figure out. Queen International… Team Arrow… It’ll all work out. It always does.”

“Maybe I should start letting you write speeches for the company,” Felicity mumbled into Sara’s shoulder as she felt a tad bit better. She didn’t feel like she was on the verge of a breakdown anymore, so at least there was that. She still didn’t think that she could eat anything more, though. 

Sara grinned as she moved away from her. “I’m not so good at those kinds of speeches…”

“I really am glad that you came.”

“Me, too,” Sara told her as she touched her cheek. “We should get going though. The guys are probably wondering what’s taking us so long. And you know if we don’t do the coffee order, they’re not going to get us the kind we like.”

That was all true.

“Five more minutes?” Felicity requested.

Sara nodded as she washed her hands.

Her hair came down and Felicity brushed through it before pulling it back into a ponytail. Felicity dropped the brush into her bag and then went to work applying eye shadow, mascara, and lipstick. That was really all she needed. She slipped her glasses back on before making sure that everything had made its way back into her purse. “I think we’re ready.”

“We really are.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Legal papers had to be signed and Oliver had to provide documents to prove his identity, even though Oliver Queen wasn’t a person that really needed to be vetted. It was required just the same. All of the legal stuff made her wish Walter was there, but he and Moira had already called and taken care of a lot of the legalities in advance. What they had to deal with was mainly ensuring that the child was going to a parent. Felicity had already seen a picture of the boy and she was certain that when they were side by side, there would be no denying them as father and son. 

“We’d really like to get to the point where he’s not with strangers…well, not—“

“I know what you mean, Mr. Queen,” the attorney said quickly. 

“What about his mother?” Felicity asked. She knew her name, but right now she was battling fatigue and her brain just wasn’t processing the same. “Funeral arrangements…”

The attorney nodded. “Her father still lives in Starling City, from what I understand…Mrs. Queen and Mr. Steele have made the proper arrangements for the body to be returned to Starling so that she can be laid to rest.”

Oliver spoke up a moment later. “Was her father involved at all in—“

“No, I’m afraid not,” the attorney said. “I did ask him before we were able to get ahold of you if he wanted to have a relationship with his grandson. I guess he’s just used to receiving photos and has no interest in anything different.”

Felicity supposed that it could be worse. The grandfather could want to fight them for custody. Of course, she knew that Oliver would give it to him if he’d helped raised the child, but that obviously wasn’t the case. Arrangements could have been made in order for Oliver to get to know his son while supporting him if that HAD been the case. 

“Are you okay, Mrs. Queen?”

It was still odd to her to be called that.

“Just…had a long night,” she told him. 

It was the truth, after all. 

“Maybe you should sit down,” Oliver said in a tone that was more than a suggestion, but not quite a command as his arm moved to snake around her waist. He guided her to the nearest chair and helped to ease her down. “Could we get a glass of water?” he asked the attorney.

“Let me get her a cold bottle,” the attorney said before disappearing.

“Hey,” Oliver said as he held her face between his hands. “You okay? If it’s too much—“

“It’s not that,” Felicity whispered and closed her eyes after a moment. “I’m just really tired…and it just hit me…and I’m just not feeling well… All the hours… I’m probably catching something…” 

His hand laid across her forehead for a moment. “You don’t feel hot.”

“I just need sleep…and probably soup,” she told him. The attorney came back with the water a moment later. “Thank you,” she replied as she accepted it. Felicity took a good drink before looking back to Oliver and the attorney, who both seemed far too concerned about her. “I think I’ve just been working too hard and too many hours since the company merger went through…” She paused for a moment. “But Oliver and I are going to be working a lot less hours now…”

“I have every faith in the both of you,” the attorney told them. “And quite frankly, anything is going to be better than putting that boy into the foster system.”

“Can we see him now?” 

The attorney nodded. “Come on, let me introduce you to Connor.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Connor Hawk looked far too much like Oliver for Felicity’s liking. It wasn’t that she had anything against the boy, it just…it was like another piece of Oliver’s life that she wasn't apart of. It hurt her, but at the same time…looking at that boy, it brought her hope for the future. She knew that that boy was going to make Oliver a better person, a better man, and a better hero. But this boy, this seven year old boy, he was going to change everything. 

For better.

For worse.

Felicity didn’t know.

All she knew was that their life wasn’t going to be like how either of them hoped or dreamed it would be…or how they expected it to turn out. What she knew, though, was that she absolutely loved and trusted Oliver Queen with all of her heart and soul. If they were together, they could do anything, she knew that…but sometimes she felt like she had to remind herself of that. No matter what the world threw at them, they could make it through if they did it together.

They were in this together.

In marriage. 

In raising Connor.

In whatever lie ahead.

They were stronger together.

“I have to leave my house?” Connor asked.

They’d been introduced to Connor and had met him at what had been his home all his life thus far. He seemed to understand who they were and why they were there, but it was still hard on him. They all understood that. Did a seven year old really even understand death? Did Connor? Was he scared? As scared as they were? Did he expect things form them? Could they deliver what he expected?

Felicity looked to Oliver, who looked immediately worried and almost upset. Oliver was good at hiding his emotions when it came to most people, but this boy…it was like Oliver wasn't hiding…at least not these emotions. She crouched down in front of Connor. “I know this is scary… But you’re going to come stay with us in Starling City. You’ll live with your dad and me. We'll take what you want now and then they’ll pack everything up in a truck and bring it to our house. Okay?”

Connor nodded slowly. “Do I get my own room?”

“Of course,” Oliver told him. “We’ll do it however you want. Whatever you need, we’ll get you.”

“What about Mom?”

Oliver looked like he was going to cry when he asked that question. Connor’s voice broke and his eyes tears, but Oliver remained strong. He took a breath before responding. “We’re going to take care of her.”

And it was the truth.

Felicity felt horrible…for all kinds of reasons. That couldn’t stop her now, though. “Why don’t I help you pack a bag?” Felicity offered. She could see that Oliver needed a moment. Connor didn’t say anything and just headed in the direction of his room. Felicity squeezed Oliver’s hand quickly before following him. She was just happy that they weren’t alone in this. Sara and Diggle had gone to pick up lunch, which they’d all eat before they headed back for Starling City. 

Connor’s room was a mash-up of superheroes and cars. It looked like it was in limbo, but he was seven, so Felicity figured that it was just how he liked it. He had everything he needed and the room was neat…for a seven year old boy. Just like the rest of the house, it looked lived in…and loved. If a house could be loved, theirs was. It was just how it was…where it looked like people had made it a home…that a family lived there…that there was happiness in those walls. 

“I have a backpack,” Connor told her as he held it up.

“Do you have a bigger bag maybe? For traveling?” 

Connor shook his head. “We went on the train one time. I took my backpack.”

“Okay,” Felicity said quietly as she thought for a moment. “Why don’t we figure out what you absolutely need to take with us today. Everything that’s going to make you feel comfortable—“

“What about my bed?”

“At our house, we have two rooms. One will be yours, we already had a bed in it. So, you can sleep in that one.” She paused for a moment. “If that’s okay.”

Connor nodded. 

“You go ahead and work on what toys you want to bring and I'm going to ask our friends, who are out getting lunch, if they’ll bring you a bag to put all your clothes in, okay?” 

He nodded again.

Felicity smiled at him and ran her fingers through his short hair for a moment before turning away from him and moving to the door to make her call. It was quick, but she had requested what she needed to. She watched as Connor looked between all of his toys, like he was trying to figure out what to bring. “You know…we might be able to bring all the toys with us now. I think we might have room.” And if they didn’t, they’d all make it work anyway. It was breaking her heart watching him try to figure out what he'd leave behind for the time being. 

Not knowing what to do at the moment, she sat down near the dresser. She wanted to be there if Connor needed her, but at the same time…she didn't want to be in the way. Felicity wanted to take in everything, so they could put together his room like his mother had had it. She didn't want things to be too different for him. He was seven, things being predictable was good for him. She realized that he was in school and that they were going to have to do things like contact the school for records…and his doctor…and everything else… 

They weren’t ready to be parents.

Was anyone?

They were going to do it, though.

They’d try their hardest.

They’d hope for the best.

When Diggle and Sara finally arrived, they brought in not only a duffel bag that was a good size, but a child’s size rolly. They’d done a good job on the character, it was definitely one of Connor’s favorites. They'd also brought a moving box. Diggle had checked and it would definitely all fit into the limo with room, so they could fit some other things in, if needed. 

Connor took the rolly and Felicity started to pack the duffel bag. Sara had taken it upon herself to help pack as many toys, which Felicity was fairly sure would be all of them, as possible into the box. In the bedroom, most of Connor’s toys had been in a furniture piece that held a bunch of bins for toys, so Digg was trying to fit it into the trunk of the limo. He seemed determined. So, they’d really be taking most likely everything except the dresser and the actual bed with them. 

It didn’t take long and Connor didn’t speak to them at all, but they managed to get everything except his actual bed and his dresser into the limo, just like she thought. Even his superhero light was going to Starling City with them. “Time to say bye,” Felicity whispered to them as they left the house. The attorney had already left. The apartment that was once Connor’s home seemed so empty even with everything in the living room still in place. She paused at a picture and fingered the frame for a moment.

Oliver must have noticed that she’d paused because he spoke up. “Felicity?”

“We should take this,” Felicity said softly and almost sadly as she picked up the frame of Connor with his mother. They looked so happy. She knew that he should have a picture of her and that was something that just couldn’t wait. She held it out to Connor, but he didn’t take it and he wouldn’t look at her. This was all a lot for him, she reminded herself. Felicity nodded. “I’ll hold onto it then.” She held it against her chest and then headed out of the apartment, letting Oliver and Connor have a moment. 

“You okay?” Sara asked Felicity as she got to the car.

Felicity just nodded, but could already tell that not only Sara…but Diggle, as well, didn’t believe her. “I just want to go home,” she told them quietly. 

Diggle opened the back car door for her. “Maybe get some sleep on the way home.”

“If you’re not feeling better in a couple of days, I am going to drag you to the doctor to have you checked out,” Sara half threatened. “And John’s right… You need sleep. I’m going to get you some water.”

“Thanks,” Felicity just said. She really didn’t want to spend the whole ride home sleeping, but at the same time…it wasn’t a horrible idea for a few reasons. The main reason being that she was absolutely exhausted. A very good reason to sleep was to let Oliver and Connor have the closest to alone time that they’d have on the ride home. She’d still be there, but she would be unconscious and unable to interject or anything.

Sliding into the vehicle, she moved so that she was closest to the front after leaving the picture frame on the bench along the back where Oliver and Connor would sit. He might not have taken the picture from her, but Felicity knew that he would want it. That he’d need that picture. Connor was grieving and it was something that he would need to assist him in being comfortable at their house and coping. It was going to be hard on the boy and Felicity just was trying to make it all as easy as possible.

Sara handed in the water bottle and Felicity drank down half of it before Oliver and Connor got into the limo. The boy was silent and Oliver looked scared. Felicity hated seeing him like that, but she understood. “I’m really not feeling so great, do you mind if I lay down and try to sleep?” she asked. If Oliver wanted her to stay up, so he wouldn’t be ‘alone’ with Connor, then she’d do it…but she didn’t think he’d ask for that.

“No, you go ahead and sleep,” Oliver said gently once the door was closed. 

Felicity watched as Connor held the picture and just stared at it. At least he had it. She gave Oliver a small smile before she curled up on the bench she was sitting on and closed her eyes. It didn’t take much for her to completely fall asleep.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The drive to Starling didn’t seem so long, probably because somehow she’d slept pretty much the entire way. She’d gotten up and practically dragged to the bathroom at a stop by Sara and then made to drink the other half of the water bottle. Then she’d slept the entire rest of the way home. Now that she was awake as they made their way up the front steps to their town home, Felicity didn’t feel like she’d slept a minute let alone the hours… 

“Why don’t I show you your room, Connor?” Oliver suggested. 

Felicity stayed out of the way. Diggle had let her carry up Connor’s bedding and pillow, but that was it. Connor just sort of stood there. Felicity thought about washing the bedding, but then decided to just go ahead and put it on the bed. That way, they could put the room together for Connor now. “How about I make the bed first?” Felicity asked. “Maybe you and Connor can figure out what we want to do for dinner?” She didn’t want for a response and just headed into the bedroom instead. 

Stripping the bed was quick, making it took a bit longer. She’d just washed the bedding on the guest bed a day or two ago, so it was still clean. Felicity folded it all up and stowed it on the top shelf of the closet. She didn’t think that there would be any problem in storing it there for now, at least. 

“Do you want this thing in a certain place?” Diggle asked.

Turning around, she found both John and Sara bringing in things. “Wherever it’ll all fit,” she whispered. Diggle put the toy storage unit along the wall opposite the dresser and Sara set the box down next to it. 

“Do you want me to start to unpack all of this?” Sara questioned.

“I can do it,” she whispered.

Diggle left the room and she knew that the look she was getting from Sara was not a good one. “You look sick, Felicity…” Sara told her. “You should be laying in YOUR bed.”

“I slept the whole way here,” Felicity argued.

“Hence, why it’s so important you go and rest.”

Felicity shook her head. “There’s still so much to do and—“

“Let US do it.”

“Sara—“

“I promise that we can handle it.”

“Oliver—“

Sara stood up and walked towards her. “Felicity, I promise you…John and I will make sure that Oliver and Connor are okay. Roy’s covering patrols tonight and Tommy is going to run things from the Foundry.”

“It’s Roy and Thea’s date night.”

“I think Thea is running things with Tommy,” Sara told her. “It’s okay if they miss a date night… It’ll be good for all three of them…”

Felicity wanted to argue, but she found herself just nodding. “I don’t know what’s wrong with me.”

“Did you get a flu shot?”

Shaking her head, she sighed. “I don’t do well with needles, remember?” Felicity closed her eyes and rubbed her head. “Plus…after everything with Count Vertigo… Flu shots are just never going to be a good idea…”

Sara just smiled at her. “Go and sleep. I’ll mind the boys.”

Felicity opened her eyes and tried to muster a small smile. She nodded the tiniest of nods before heading for the door. She found Oliver trying to talk to Connor as John carried in more items they’d brought with them. She moved towards Oliver to let him know that she was just going to lay down. Felicity didn’t want him to think that she was upset, just to know that she wasn’t feeling well. 

Her hand started to move towards Oliver when suddenly she was collapsing. She didn’t know what was happening or what was wrong. All she knew was that she didn’t hit the ground. Felicity was cradled in Oliver’s arms, her vision was fading…but she heard him calling her name. His voice was the last thing that she heard before everything went black.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…


	6. No

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I don't remember if I called Felicity the Oracle in "In Truth". I don't think I did. I tried to look, but it's kinda long... *halo* So, I'm keeping with that. 
> 
> Don't forget to follow me on twitter @shannyfish!

“Felicity—“

“I didn’t mean to scare you…or Connor…or anyone else,” she whispered as she pushed the covers back, in order to get out of bed. 

Oliver’s hands covered hers and he pushed the covers back into place. “Hey…no… I want you to rest.”

“Oliver—“

“No one’s upset with you, Felicity,” Oliver said gently. His fingers brushed against her check as he scooted closer to her. “But I AM worried… Please… It’s been a long couple of days… Just rest? Connor’s fine. His room is all set up…or as much as it will be for today. Please… John and Sara are ordering dinner right now. Everything is handled…except you getting rest.”

She wanted to argue.

She couldn’t.

Felicity finally just nodded. “Okay.”

Leaning in, Oliver kissed her for a long moment before kissing her forehead. “I love you,” he whispered. “Just please rest and I’ll let you know when it’s time for dinner, okay?”

With no good argument, she nodded again. “Okay,” she echoed. Felicity settled back in the bed and shifted to try to get comfortable. In a way, she felt like she failed him. She hated to think that she had failed. Felicity knew, though, that Oliver would argue with her if she voiced that concern. 

There was a knock on the door and they both turned to look towards it. “Come in,” Oliver called. 

Sara opened the door and stepped in. “Digg’s going to head out to get food…and I think Connor might have locked himself in his room,” she explained as she motioned into the rest of the house behind her. “I figured I could come in and keep Felicity company while you go and talk to Connor.”

Felicity watched Oliver’s face. He made one in Sara’s direction, obviously not meant for Sara…it was more frustration, and then he turned to her. It took him a moment before he managed to push it into a smile. She reached out and touched his cheek. “Go on…and maybe we should think about changing that doorknob, so it doesn’t have a lock…” 

“I think that’s a pretty good plan,” Oliver told her before leaning in for a quick kiss. “At least I know how to pick the lock if he doesn’t open the door for me.”

“Teaching him how to pick locks could be a useful skill in life,” Sara teased.

Oliver’s face now was definitely for Sara and wasn’t pleased. He kissed Felicity again before it seemed like he had to force himself to move. “You two try to stay out of trouble while I’m gone.”

Sara took his place on the bed and they both watched him go. “No promises,” Sara teased. 

Felicity sighed and looked from Oliver’s retreating form to Sara. “How bad is it?”

“He actually was fine when you collapsed… It was more Oliver’s reaction that I think freaked him out,” Sara explained. “We told him that you hadn’t eaten all day, which is basically true…and that your blood sugar was low. Not sure he understood that, but…he seemed better after we talked.”

“And now he’s locked in his room,” Felicity said slowly.

Shrugging, Sara crawled over where Felicity lay on the bed and into Oliver’s side of the bed. She seemed to make herself comfortable before speaking up again. “I really wouldn’t worry too much about the kid,” she said. “He’s going through a lot… He’s going to do what he feels like is right, even if it freaks us out… When he’s ready to talk, then he’ll talk.”

“Oliver’s going to take it—“

“Oh, we’re all prepared for that,” Sara interrupted. “Ollie takes EVERYTHING to heart.”

“I wanted today to go smoothly…”

“It did,” Sara told her. She paused. “Until you passed out.”

Felicity made a face and then huffed. “I really probably do have low blood sugar…”

“I wouldn’t be surprised.”

“So, Oliver shouldn’t be so worried,” Felicity summarized.

Sara looked over at her. “Let’s be honest. Oliver’s going to be worried. He’s probably also going to feel guilty and has twisted it into being his fault in some weird…weird…way. That’s why I already book you a doctor’s appointment for tomorrow!”

Groaning, Felicity closed her eyes and covered her face. “I’m fine… I’ve probably got a touch of the flu or something…”

“Well, whatever it is…we’re going to go see your doctor and have you all checked out. Then if you ARE sick, they can write you a script for drugs that are going to make you feel better,” Sara assured. “And yes, that means that I am going with you. You have no choice on that front.”

It was Sara, so she wasn’t really irked, but she wasn’t thrilled. Felicity hated going to the doctor, mainly because that tended to be a realm of pointy needlely things. She didn’t like those. She honestly felt like it was just the flu or exhaustion…or both. It was very possible that it was both. They’d been going, going, going…and they really all needed a break. They were all trying to find balance and it felt like they were just sort of finding that. Well, they HAD been.

“You okay?” Sara questioned.

“I apparently passed out.”

“Yeah, but that’s not what I meant.”

Felicity knew what she meant.

Connor.

Sara was wondering how she was doing after they’d picked up Connor and now he was there in her home. There was no turning back. There was no changing their minds. Felicity wouldn’t do that to Connor, though, or Oliver. They would figure out how to make it work. There was no other choice to make. They were family and family stuck together.

“I’m okay.”

“You sure?”

“I slept the whole way home and then collapsed… From what I gather, he and Oliver really didn’t seem to talk to the whole way home… It’s going to be a lot for everyone, right?” 

“Right.”

“So, I guess I really don’t know how I am on that front, yet.”

“Well, you’ve got me…and you’ve got John. You’ve even got those silly siblings of yours…and Roy.”

Felicity grinned at Sara’s addition of Roy on the end. “And Roy…” She thought about it for a moment. “he sounds like such a tagalong…”

Sara shrugged. “He sort of is… Or a stalker… Either way, he’s ours… And as much as he might drive any of us nuts sometimes, he’s family…and that’s what matters…”

“He is,” Felicity agreed as her eyes filled with tears. She didn’t know why. Maybe it was just the thought of their family and how everything was changing. It was just all so much. Felicity didn’t know if she just needed a distraction or if it was just all hitting her hard at once, plus being sick. Being sick really didn’t help with your emotions sometimes. Felicity swore that that was why Lifetime could have women weeping in front of a TV for hours with movie after movie, being home sick and their hormones and emotions being out of control. 

Wrapping her arms around Felicity, they just lay there. Sara hummed something and the words that she sang softly were not in English. Felicity was going to ask if it was something that she’d picked up while she was in the League of Assassins…it sounded like a lullaby almost…and it just seemed silly to think that Sara had picked it up from the League. Whatever it was, it was comforting. Felicity’s eyes slid closed as she held onto Sara. 

They were home.

They were family.

They were together.

That was all that mattered.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Felicity woke to her alarm going on, she silenced it and wrapped her arm around Oliver again. She nuzzled against him, loving the feeling of his warm body up against hers. She’d been up just long enough to eat and chat with Sara for a short while. Oliver had stayed up, hoping that Connor would emerge. He hadn’t crawled into bed until Connor had retrieved his plate from outside of his door around midnight, apparently Oliver had kept himself as hidden as possible so that the boy wouldn’t see him. Felicity knew that she had a doctor’s appointment, but she’d already told Sara that she needed to go into Queen International for a few hours. They couldn’t just all disappear and leave it to Tommy… 

“I’m up,” he whispered sleepily.

She kissed him and leaned her forehead against his. “Stay in bed a little longer…”

“Tommy—“

“I’m going to go in for a few hours—“

“Felicity—“

She silenced his argument with a kiss. “Sara’s picking me up. She’s going to watch me like a hawk…or a canary…whichever one is more comforting to you,” she teased lightly. Felicity smiled down at him. “We can’t just leave Connor… I’ll go in for a few hours and I’ll go to the doctor…”

“Are you sure?”

“Yes,” Felicity told him. In truth, she was fairly sure that the distraction of work was actually going to help a lot. “Plus, maybe Connor will do a bit better if it’s just the two of you…”

“Maybe.”

Felicity kissed him again, taking her time this time. “It’s going to be best this way, you’ll see…”

“Can I at least share a shower with you?”

“You need to sleep,” she insisted with a slight frown.

Oliver sighed and then wrapped his arms around her. “There’s no way that I could sleep knowing that you were in the shower all alone…”

A small smile danced across her face at his comment. “Okay… But just promise me that you’ll go back to sleep after…”

“I can’t have breakfast with my beautiful wife?”

Felicity sighed. “You’re going to get sick…”

“I’m going to stay well…you watch…”

“What is your secret?” she teased as she smiled at him. “Those magical herbs that you brought back from Lian Yu?”

He laughed. “Why does everyone refer to them like that?”

“Because I’m fairly sure that they ARE magical…”

“They aren’t.”

“I don’t think they’re in any botany database…”

“That doesn’t make them magical…”

“Are you sure?” she teased.

Oliver just grinned at her. “I’m going to make you late for work…”

“Sara has a key, we better not run late…” Felicity told him as she reluctantly pulled herself away from him. She got out of the bed in just one of his t-shirts and lacy panties. Felicity looked over her shoulder to see if he was following her as she made her way to their bathroom. 

He was.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“You’re okay, right?”

Felicity shook her head at Tommy. Not only had Sara said something, but Oliver had texted him, too. “I’m fine… You can all stop worrying… I drank some hot tea this morning and had some plain scrambled eggs and I’m okay… I’m tired, but I’m okay.” She shot Sara a look that felicity was sure Sara would understand. She didn’t need everyone fussing over her. The truth of it was that Felicity wasn’t used to be fussing over, no matter how much people sometimes tried. She was the person who always fussed over others. Felicity was too used to taking care of everyone else. She was normally the one that she took care of last. 

“You could have taken the day off…”

“I’m going to just not talk to all of you if you can’t just stop acting like I’m dying or something,” Felicity told Tommy as he followed her towards the offices. “I’m going to get some work done now, if anyone else cares to actually worry over Queen International instead of my health.”

“Why don’t I get to be the concerned brother?” Tommy questioned.

Felicity made a face. “It’s just that—“

“I’ve been hounding her about it… She’s just tired of hearing the rest of us nag her about it,” Sara interjected.

“We all just care about you, Felicity,” Tommy reminded as they entered Felicity’s office. “It’s not a bad thing.”

She wanted to badly to hug him. They couldn’t. It was too public with those damned glass walls. “I know,” she whispered and touched his arm lightly before heading to her desk. “I’m sorry… I just—“

“I know you do everything for everyone…and it seems like you’re always working, so PLEASE,” Tommy told her quietly. “Just LET us fuss…”

Sighing, she rubbed her face. “I— I— I don’t know what to say,” she admitted as her voice broke a tiny bit.

Tommy, to her surprise, grabbed her and pulled her into a hug. At first, she tensed up and then she relaxed. Did it really matter? Sara was there. Sara knew that she and Tommy were siblings and she knew everything that was going on. If their assistant came in, then she could just get over it. It wasn’t like they were doing anything more. They’d been so worried about tabloids and rumors, but right now…she needed this. 

“Okay,” she just whispered. 

What else was there for her to do? 

If she was in his place, she would feel the same way, Felicity realized. It was hard for her to let go. To let go of control and to let go of the responsibility that she was used to having. She sat down in her chair and looked at the memos that had piled up on her desk since yesterday. 

“There really wasn’t that much yesterday with the company,” Tommy told her. “I had all of our joint meetings rescheduled until next week.”

That was really where Felicity had been stressed, she realized, as she checked the calendar on her computer. “Thank you,” she said as she looked from the computer screen to her brother. “That’s…that’s really what I was worried about… I figured that I’d need to really go over things, in case the two of us needed to present things without Oliver.”

Tommy smiled. “I’m good for something…sometimes at least.”

“Does this mean we came into work for nothing?” Sara questioned.

“No,” Felicity insisted. “There are still e-mails that I need to read and answer.”

“That you could have read from home,” Tommy reminded.

That was certainly true.

“But I needed to get out of the house.”

Sara made herself comfortable on the couch. “That’s what I thought.”

“Is it bad at home?” Tommy questioned.

Felicity thought about his question for a moment. “I don’t know that I’d say it was bad. It’s just…different…and awkward…and…”

“He’s been locked in his room since we pretty much got all of his stuff in there,” Sara spoke up. 

“He came out eventually for dinner last night, well…his plate outside of his door…”

“Would I recognize him?” 

“Connor actually reminds me a lot of how Oliver looked when he was younger,” Sara vouched. “It was kind of creepy when I first saw him…”

“Interesting,” Tommy said slowly. “When do I get to meet him?”

“We're trying to let him settle in… Moira is planning his mother’s funeral…” Felicity explained. “We didn’t want to crowd him with so many people… He’s got to get used to Oliver and I first… Oliver, mainly…”

“You, too.”

Felicity shook her head. “I’m not his parent—“

“Maybe not a biological one,” Tommy conceded. “But you’re going to be his mother for the rest of his life…and he couldn’t ask for a better one… He’s lucky to have you, Felicity. He just needs time to realize that.”

Mom.

She hadn’t thought of herself like that.

Stepmom, yes.

Was he right? Would he ever see her like a mom? Felicity wanted him to remember his mother always, but she got what Tommy was saying…of course Connor’s life could have been harder. She might not have overheard and they might have never known about him… Moira could have sent him overseas to a boarding school… Connor was lucky to have them, they all just hadn’t really realized it yet. 

“Thanks,” she whispered.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Are you okay?”

“No.”

“Felicity—“

“No.”

“It’s not—“

“No!” Felicity shouted at Sara as she turned to her and brushed her hand off of her arm as they walked back to where the car was parked in the parking structure of the medical building. She pushed away the tears and turned back around, she wobbled for a moment, but then regain her balance. “I’m not okay… None of this is going to be okay… Oliver—“

“Oliver’s not going to be upset.”

“He’ll worry.”

“He does that anyway.” Sara paused for a moment. “Plus, it’s YOU. You KNOW he’s going to worry no matter what.”

“It’s a mistake.”

“They ran tests, Felicity.”

“They said that it COULD be wrong.”

“Didn’t the doctor say that it was HIGHLY unlikely that it was an incorrect reading that they got?”

Felicity sucked in breath and tried to see straight as she walked. Today just wasn’t going well for her at all… She’d gotten stuff done at work, but she’d felt guilty leaving Tommy there all alone for the rest of the day and having missed the day before. She stopped and looked over at Sara. She’d thought her whole world was crumbling down when they’d found out about Connor… But this, this seemed so much worse.

“Are you REALLY upset?”

Tears were falling and she was having a hard time to keep herself from sobbing, so when she spoke…her words broke. “I know I shouldn’t,” Felicity responded. She tried to wipe away tears, but they kept falling. “Oliver just found out he has a son…who we just brought home…who doesn’t even want to come out of his room.” She sucked in air and tried to calm herself. It wasn’t easy. “How am I supposed to tell him that I’m pregnant?”

Sara stared at her for a long moment. “You two talked about having a family—“

“Not like this…”

“Felicity, you two are going to be great parents…to Connor and this baby… I know that nothing’s really figured out, but you’re going to figure it out… We’re all going to be here to help… You know that, right? No matter what, I’m going to be with you the entire time. Oliver’s going to be there to support you. John, Tommy, Thea, and Roy are all going to be here for you… And if you really want them, Walter and Moira… I’m sure Moira will be thrilled to no end having two grandchildren brought home in one year.”

It made her smile, she wasn’t sure WHY, but it did. She wiped away the tears, sucked in a deep breath, and then took her time to push it out. Felicity tried to calm herself. She tried to steady herself. “I just… I should be happy, right?”

“That’s really not fair after the last couple of days.”

“All that’s in my head is worry…”

“Well, stop that.”

“Sara—“

“Did you hear the part where I said I’m going to be right with you the whole time?” Sara reminded as she put her arm around Felicity and started to guide her in the direction of the car. “I don’t care if your happiness hasn’t hit you yet! I’m happy FOR you! So, we’re going to celebrate!”

“I don’t feel like celebrating right now,” Felicity mumbled.

“No, no… We’re definitely CELEBRATING,” Sara insisted. “You’ll thank me later.”

“How am I going to tell Oliver?”

Sara beeped the car. “You could just tell him or I’m sure there’s something creative to do on pintrest…”

“What if he freaks out?”

“You’re already doing that,” Sara told her as she opened the front passenger side door for Felicity. “Believe me. He’s going to be happy. You’re worrying for nothing.”

“I still don’t feel like celebrating—“

“YET!”

Felicity sighed and got into the car, Sara shut the door, and Felicity buckled herself. She stared ahead and just breathed. It was a lot to take in. She was pregnant. There was a blood test that was being done, but they were fairly confident that she was pregnant. With everything going on, she hadn’t even noticed that she’d missed her period and that she should be on one right now. Time just had sort of blurred together. 

The pregnancy explained why she’d been feeling how she had. She’d thought it was the flu. It wasn’t. She had just been suffering from fatigue and possibly low blood sugar from not eating enough and her body nurturing the baby growing inside of her. The doctor had prescribed her to eat more protein, stay away from excess sugar and starch, take prenatal vitamins, and to lower her stress. 

All of that was easier said than done.

“Oliver’s the Arrow and I’m…well, I help him…”

“You really need a name.”

“I think Oliver’s fond of Felicity.”

Sara grinned at her before pulling out of the spot. “You know what I mean.”

“I guess there’s no more of me going out and fighting the bad guys…”

“You don’t like doing that anyways.”

“True.”

“Your magic is usually done in the Foundry.”

Felicity sighed. “What if I have to give it all up?”

“I told you, we’ll figure it out,” Sara insisted. “We’ll find a way.” She paused thoughtfully. “But first, you have to figure out how to tell Oliver.” When she came to a stop sign and the car came to a full stop, she turned to Felicity. “Get your phone out and start Googling how to tell Oliver…”

“Not sure if being creative is the right way to go.”

“Are you afraid you’re going to shock him?”

“Oh, I KNOW I’m going to shock him.”

“He’ll be happy, I promise.”

“I hope so.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> And yes, for all of you who were hoping she's pregnant, she is ;)


	7. Small Steps

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Tried to upload this last night...but my internet hated me. So, here it is now.

They hadn’t returned straight home, Felicity had needed time to process. So, she and Sara had decided killing time could be done by doing something mundane. Instead of going straight home to face Oliver and Connor, they’d gone shopping. Felicity really didn’t even care if they just walked around and looked at things. She just had needed to be somewhere where she really didn’t need to think or worry about how to say things to Oliver. She just wasn’t ready. Not yet. 

“Do we have a list of things to get?” Sara questioned as they entered. 

It took Felicity a moment to really realize what Sara had said. They already had a cart and they’d put their purses in the top kiddie seat part. Sara was pushing the cart and Felicity just had really decided on going shopping because she figured that she could zone out. She didn’t think that she was actually going to have to make decisions or think. But here Sara was making her do it anyways. “On my phone…on the notepad,” she mumbled as her brain finally put together what Sara had said a minute before.

Felicity watched Sara as she retrieved Felicity’s phone and got through her screen lock. She frowned slightly. “How many times have you seen me unlock it?”

“I figured it out after one,” Sara told her with a smile.

She really didn’t care. Sara was probably the person that Felicity had the least amount of secrets right now, mainly because Sara had gone with her to the doctor and spent the whole day with her normally. Oliver was second only because she hadn’t told him her news about the baby yet. Felicity just couldn’t cope with that. Not yet. It was just too much. 

“You know what you really need…I mean other than mouthwash and toothpaste and all of this other stuff?” Sara waited a moment before answering. “Kid food. Maybe a toy or two or more.”

Felicity hadn’t really thought about needing different food. She didn’t think what she and Oliver had when they were home wasn’t kid friendly, but maybe Sara WAS right about that. “I didn’t exactly rifle the cupboards at his mom’s house,” she said slowly and quietly. Now, she was starting to wish that she had. 

“I saw his cereal preferences, so that’s something,” Sara told her as she motioned for them to move further through the store. “But you know…kids like juice pouches…fruit snacks…hot dogs…mac and cheese…goldfish…chicken nuggets in the shape of dinosaurs…that kind of thing.”

It sounded like Sara had a much better handle on it than she did. Felicity knew that NORMALLY you learned as you went. That wasn’t the case with Connor. She and Oliver hadn’t had years to figure out what Connor liked and to bond with him. No, this was a child who had been hidden away from Oliver, for good or bad…

“You’re an only child, aren’t you?”

Felicity nodded, but didn’t look at Sara.

“You know, for a long while…I wanted a brother…but I grew up with Ollie and Tommy…so, it was practically the same thing…” Sara shrugged. “With a few of the friends that Laurel and I had in common, we were really close to them…so it was practically like having other siblings.”

Thea included, Felicity thought. 

There was so much that she’d missed not being raised near her brother or sister. Would things be the same, though? She wondered if she and Oliver would be too familiar, feeling more like siblings…there were always pros and cons when she thought about the ‘what ifs’. “I never fit in with the other kids…”

Sara just smiled. “I’m not surprised.” She was quiet for a moment. “You were probably too smart to have been in our circle…”

“I wasn’t the same person when I was younger,” Felicity confessed. “I doubt that any of you would have recognized me.” Her past really wasn’t something that they’d talked a lot about. She was so different from her mother and she’d gotten out of Las Vegas to go to school as soon as she could. 

“I’m intrigued now,” Sara told her. “There better be stories and pictures to share later…”

A small smile flashed across her face as she thought about it. They all had made choices in life and honestly, she still wouldn’t have changed things…even the hard things. Because of it all, it had brought her Oliver, Diggle, Sara, Tommy, Thea, and Roy. It had brought her the truth and ultimately, it had made her stronger. And she realized…this was going to make them stronger, too… She supposed that she was just so worried about how everything was going to work out. 

“That’s definitely a share for another day…” Felicity finally told her. 

“I’m not going to forget.”

And she knew that Sara wouldn’t. They moved towards the food aisle and she knew Sara was right and she probably would have thought to google things that little boys like to eat earlier if she hadn’t been so exhausted and stressed. “You know what all of this means, too?” Felicity asked and looked over at Sara. For the time, her stress level had lowered as she told herself that they were going to all get through this. She was glad that Sara had reminded her…again…of this. She was still nervous about telling Oliver, however. “I’m going to have to switch to decaf.”

“I have no idea how you’re going to survive,” Sara told her far too seriously. 

“Apparently I can have one cup—“

“We never get through the morning with JUST one cup,” Sara countered quickly. 

“That’s probably going to be the biggest adjustment,” Felicity told her. Everything else, she knew that she was going to have time to figure out and make the adjustment for. It hit her that she was going to call Oliver when she got out of the doctor’s and she’d never done it. Sighing, she pulled out her phone and stared down at the message box for Oliver. “If I tell him that the doctor says I’m healthy…but I need more sleep…that’s accurate…”

“Well, I’d definitely wait to break the news to him in person,” Sara suggested.

If her being pregnant had been something that they’d thought or even been planning for, then MAYBE she’d be okay with texting him that news. It just seemed too special…and right now, too sensitive of a matter to just text. So, she just texted him that the doctor said that she needed more sleep, but was healthy other than that. Felicity also included the fact that she and Sara were stopping by the store before heading home to keep him from worrying. “I still don’t know what I’m going to say.”

“I think they make cards for that.”

Felicity made a face. “It should be special…but I don’t know when it’s going to be the right time.”

“For us, it’s never the right time.”

“Have you and John thought about—“

“Hey now,” Sara said quickly. “How did we get this turned around to my love life?”

“Well, have you?” Felicity questioned. Sara and Diggle were really the only others right now who Felicity felt mirrored her and Oliver the closest. Could Sara see herself having a family and balancing everything else? She felt like they were extremely valid questions. As they moved down the aisle, she grabbed fruit snacks in the shape of Scooby Doo characters. Kids still watched Scooby Doo, right? They had to if they made fruit snacks in those shapes. She turned to see Sara grabbing the largest container of goldfish off the shelf and shrugging at first in response.

It took Sara a moment before words came out. “I guess we really haven’t talked about it. We’ve kidded here and there about marriage… But marriage really is just a piece of paper… I guess, it just depends on what happens… We’re still figuring out everything,” Sara told her honestly. “We’re all damaged in some way, we all carry baggage… I think that John and I are still figuring out how to make everything work…and being comfortable in the life we have together.”

“You two seem pretty comfortable,” Felicity commented. 

“Don’t get me wrong, we are,” Sara told her. “It’s just…I guess that I’m really the one that’s having a hard time with commitment…”

Felicity nodded. She could understand that. If it hadn’t been for everything with Malcolm and Moira, Felicity was fairly sure that it would have been three to five years before she and Oliver ever actually admitted feelings to each other out loud, let alone commit to anything. “I think you two would make it…”

“Maybe…but we have time.”

“But what about kids?”

Sara shook her head a little in response. “I honestly think John would be great with kids…but I don’t know… It’s hard because of everything I’ve seen… It’s hard for me to think about bringing a child into this world…but then at the same time…I see these people with their kids and I see how happy they all are…”

“You’d be a good mom,” Felicity told her. 

Sara grinned back at her. “I’ll get to try my hand at being an aunt first, see how I do…”

That was true. She was so grateful for their wonderful family. If it really took a village to raise children, then she was certain that she had the best village with their family. There was no way that she was going to fail being a parent with the support that she had. Connor and this baby were going to be the luckiest children in the world. 

“I think we should go with the organic mac and cheese. You don’t want to know what I read about the regular stuff,” Sara said. 

Felicity cringed. “Now I’m probably going to have to google that later…”

“Don’t worry, I’ll fill you in on the ride home… It’ll make you rethink everything pre-packaged.”

“How did we all survive growing up?”

Sara let out a short laugh. “I think news every day makes us question that.”

Sara was right. That was so true. Now you weren’t supposed to let kids sit up front until they were so much older, there were a bunch of different of stages of carseats, and then there were all the apparent changes to baby things. Felicity had done a lot of reading in the car on the way over from the doctor’s office. Her doctor had thought it would help ease from the shock of the pregnancy. There had been a whole article about how different things were just in the last decade. It made her head spin. Though, she felt a little more prepared…sort of. 

“Dinosaur shaped nuggets are definitely better than the regular kind,” Felicity asked as she opened the freezer door. 

“Dinos are definitely better.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Their shopping trip had been fairly good therapy. It was definitely a store that Felicity could easily burn two hours without really thinking about it. Sara had even suggested a couple of ideas in order to break the news to Oliver, including buying a onesie. Felicity had thought about it, but that was just something that made it too real. Felicity had several months to really grasp being pregnant, she didn’t feel like she needed to just jump into the idea of having a baby today. She could have a little bit to really let it sink in. 

“Do you need help?” Oliver asked the moment they came through the door with bags. 

“We got it,” Sara told him. 

Felicity was carrying the bags, not many, when Oliver came anyways to take her bags, she didn’t argue. She could tell that it had been a long day just from looking at him. He needed more sleep. That wasn’t all though, he also needed the weight of everything off of his shoulders…or at least the weight shared. She wished that it was an easy thing for her to do. “Thanks,” she whispered as she closed and locked the front door. The house was quiet, so she figured that it was a day filled with Oliver trying to get Connor to talk…and failing at it. 

Oliver hated to fail.

He especially hated to fail people.

A small sigh escaped her as she made her way towards the kitchen, she’d get things settled and then go and at least say hi to Connor. Even if he didn’t say anything, it was the act that was important. Eventually, she had to believe that the boy would warm up to them. “So, Sara suggested we get some more kid friendly foods…so we did,” Felicity spoke up, pushing a smile forward. “So, maybe it’ll make Connor feel more at home.”

“I guess I didn’t really think about that,” Oliver admitted as he set the bags on the table.

Felicity patted his shoulder. “You need sleep.”

“I just—“

“Why don’t you go and shower and take it easy while we work on dinner?” Felicity suggested. 

“Are you—“

“We’re sure,” Sara spoke up.

“What about tonight, the Found—“

“Got it covered,” Sara interrupted. “Don’t worry about it.”

“Shower,” Felicity reminded him as she and Sara started to unpack bags. At least putting away groceries wouldn’t be a hard thing, since they really didn’t keep too much in their cupboards. If an apocalypse ever hit, they definitely wouldn’t have the canned food stocked up for such an event, but she was fairly confident in their other skills…so there was that. 

“I wanted to talk to you about what the doctor said,” Oliver said, stopping before he got out of the kitchen. He turned back to them and crossed the distance quickly. 

“I told you,” Felicity told him, but didn’t look at him. “I’m healthy…I just need more sleep.”

“Felicity—“

“We can talk more about this AFTER dinner,” Felicity said quickly and yet calmly as she looked up at him. She knew that he was concerned, but this wasn’t about them right now. “Let’s just try to keep things normal,” she said quietly. “Maybe Connor will join us for dinner…”

“He hasn’t spoken all day, Felicity,” Oliver informed her.

She shrugged for a moment. “It’s only been a full day here, Oliver,” she reminded. “He just lost his mom… We’ve uprooted him from Central City. He just found out about you…and been brought into our home.” Felicity tilted her head to the side slightly. “He just needs time and space. We need to give him that.”

Oliver was quiet for a long moment, “You’re right.” He paused again. “I’m going to shower…”

Felicity watched for a moment as he went to their room, just studying him, she could tell that he was having a really hard time with everything. She wanted to tell him, she did…but right now just wasn’t the right time to do that. Later… It would be better later… She looked over to Sara, who she could tell had been watching Oliver, too. 

“You have to tell him.”

“I will,” Felicity promised. “Just…not right now… When we’re alone, then I’ll tell him.”

Sara just nodded.

“I think I’m going to go and check in on Connor, let him know we’re making dinner.” Felicity left Sara after a moment. All of the excess food had been put away and Sara was reading the instructions on the mac and cheese when Felicity headed towards Connor’s bedroom. She had grabbed two action figures off of the counter that they’d bought and had hoped that it was something that he’d be interested in. They were also hoping that it would be a bit of an icebreaker. 

When she got to the bedroom, his door was closed so she knocked lightly before opening it and peeking inside. Connor was sitting on his bed, the picture of his mother on the bed along with a couple of his action figures. He didn’t look up when she entered. Felicity hadn’t expected him to. If he hadn’t paid any attention or said anything to Oliver all day long, then why would he pay any attention to her? He was definitely still grieving and trying to cope with everything. Felicity just hoped that they were doing what needed to be done for him. They definitely were doing the best that they could all do.

“It’s just me,” she told him quietly. A beat passed. “Felicity,” she felt the need to remind. “I just wanted to see if you needed anything…and then to let you know that we’re making dinner. Mac and cheese and chicken nuggets. Was hoping that that would be something you’d be interested in.” He didn’t look up or speak. Biting her lower lip for a moment, she waited. When he still didn’t say anything, she moved to the bed and set the action figures on the edge of the bed. “We weren’t sure if you had these…or they were something you liked…but we can always exchange them if we need to…” Figuring that Connor was going to remain silent, she turned and headed out of the room. She or Oliver would come back and let him know when dinner was ready. Felicity stopped at the door, her hand on the doorframe, as she looked back into the room. She was surprised to see that Connor was looking back up at her, his face a sad look, but it was the first time since they’d taken him out of his home in Central City that he’d actually looked at her. 

Baby steps.

Felicity smiled at him, tapping the doorframe lightly. “We’ll let you know when dinner’s ready.” She left the door about an inch open before heading back to the kitchen. Sara looked busy making the macaroni and cheese when Felicity returned, though there was only water in the pot. It looked like she’d put out everything that was needed on the counter, though. Felicity brightened a bit. “Well, he looked at me,” she whispered.

“That’s something,” Sara reminded quietly. 

“I’ll get the nuggets into the oven,” Felicity told her as she bent down to retrieve cookie sheets and grab aluminum foil. She covered the sheet in the foil and then sprayed it lightly with cooking spray. The dino nuggets were then spread across the sheet before they were in the oven. The extra nuggets were placed in the freezer and she moved back to where Sara was. 

“You know…this is weird…”

“What?” Felicity asked and looked around, a little confused.

“Cooking…”

“It’s from a box,” Felicity pointed out.

“Still counts,” Sara told her. 

Felicity smiled at her. “You mean, being home…and actually sort of being domestic?” 

“Hey now, you should be excited… You have all kinds of time to clean and do laundry…”

“That’s true,” Felicity told her. “Though, laundry’s pretty much done. I will need to take in some dry cleaning tomorrow… Cleaning, however, I may end up dusting if I have a hard time sleeping.”

Sara shook her head with a smile on her face. “As much as I always feel like we all deserve maids, I always feel like they’d snoop around and we couldn’t risk it.”

“I always just find it a little creepy,” Felicity explained. “Because you KNOW that they look through your things. I am definitely a person who will refuse service on my hotel room if I’m just there for a couple of days. I’d much rather hang my towels to dry and make my own bed…”

“An actual hotel room is foreign to me,” Sara told her. She didn’t sound sad or anything, though, and was still smiling. “But I know what you mean… And I like my bed being untucked. It’s so much more work when they make the bed everyday and you just have to come in and untuck every place that they’ve tucked it.”

Felicity just smiled. It was odd. Their discussion really wasn’t anything special, but it was just nice having these conversations with Sara. She’d decided that she enjoyed Sara’s company so much because she knew that she never had to play a part with her. She could fall to pieces in front of her and know that she wouldn’t have to worry her too much or that she’d think less of her. Sara also knew all of the family secrets, Queen and Merlyn, so Felicity didn’t have to pretend to not be related to Tommy and Thea or that nothing happened when she had ‘disappeared and presumed dead’. She could just be a person with Sara and she liked that. 

“What did I miss?”

They both turned to see Oliver walking towards them, he was wearing green, blue, and white plaid pajama bottoms that she’d bought for him for times like these and a green t-shirt. He was never one to take his time in the shower unless they were showering together…and then it didn’t have anything to do with washing hair. He looked a little better, maybe more relaxed, whatever it was…the shower had definitely done him good. 

“Nothing,” Felicity told him. “We were just talking.”

“Dinner’s probably going to be about fifteen or twenty minutes,” Sara said. “And now…I need to go.”

Oliver seemed confused. “You’re not staying?”

“Nope. Foundry night.”

“But you helped—“

“I just figured I’d keep Felicity company while you showered,” Sara told him as she moved to grab her things, leaving the pot of now boiling water to Felicity. She looked to Felicity. “I’ll see you tomorrow?”

Felicity nodded and poured the macaroni into the water, getting ready to stir. “Oliver and I will have to talk about at least me having a night at the Foundry—“

“You don’t have to worry about it.”

“No, the rest of you shouldn’t be taking the weight of everyday,” Oliver interrupted. 

Sara shrugged. “You guys would do it for us. It’s really not that big of a deal. It’s not like you’re retiring, right?”

Oliver was quiet.

“Not retiring,” Felicity finally spoke up. “It’s just going to take us some time to figure out the right routine and schedule.”

“Right,” Oliver agreed.

Felicity just nodded and then looked over at Sara. “Call us, though, if you need us.”

“We’ll be fine,” Sara insisted with a smile as she headed out. “Have a good dinner!”

Once Sara was gone, she turned to look at Oliver. Was he really thinking about hanging up his hood? Felicity honestly didn’t see that happening. The Arrow was too much of who he was. Being the Arrow was so much more than the hood, the bow, or the arrows…it was a calling…and Oliver was damn good at it. Without the vigilante…the Hood…the Arrow…Starling City wouldn’t be the same… Felicity didn’t know if it might have been better, but she knew that it would definitely be darker… The Undertaking would have likely taken place and all of those people would have died… No, she was certain that the world was a better place because of Oliver’s alter ego. 

“You aren’t really thinking about giving it up, are you?” she asked quietly.

Felicity hadn’t even told Oliver that she was pregnant yet. She didn’t want the fact that they were going to have a child change absolutely everything. They would figure it all out. It was just going to take time and sitting down and figuring out what worked for their family. Oliver was quiet and she just watched him as she stirred the pasta. She waited and just hoped that Oliver wasn’t going to try to say that he could just work at Queen International and then come home. That just wasn’t him. Felicity knew Oliver. He needed more in his life.

“I don’t know,” he confessed quietly with a sigh as he ran his fingers against his scalp. 

“What we’ve done…what we do, Oliver… It’s for Connor,” Felicity told him quietly. “It’s for every child out there… It’s for the future of Starling City… You have to remember that.”

She knew that he knew that.

“It’s just a lot to take in…” 

“Believe me, I’ve thought about it a lot,” Felicity told him. “How are we going to make it all work? How are we going to balance our lives? How are we going to be good parents? How are we going to make time for everything and still have clean laundry?”

Oliver smiled a little. “The laundry thing can be a real struggle…”

Felicity was glad that he wasn’t so sad or serious or depressed or too weighted. “Could you do me a favor and get the plates and silverware on the table?” she asked. 

“That’s something we don’t normally do.” Oliver didn’t argue, though, and just moved to the cupboard to start pulling everything they needed out.

It was true.

They normally just plated things up right there at the stove if they were cooking at home. It just seemed like the thing to do. Maybe it would be more appealing to Connor if he saw the food on the table and he could make the choices. They weren’t even having vegetables tonight, she just was a little worried of scaring him away. Felicity had already promised herself that she’d make it up at lunch the next day. 

“Maybe it’s time for a new family tradition,” Felicity told him. She caught a couple of the noodles on the spoon she was stirring with and tested to see if it was ready. It wouldn’t take much longer. “It’s not just the two of us anymore…and we have far more family dinners here now rather than at your mother’s…”

“Speaking of my mother,” Oliver said. “She’s been calling and texting me all day.”

“Why?” she asked slowly as she got the strainer into the sink, so it was ready when the pasta was finally done. Felicity just hoped that Moira wasn’t up to anything new. Of course, Felicity wouldn’t have been surprised if Moira was simply making sure that she wasn’t on a list again. It seemed like they’d just come to some kind of truce…a middle ground.

Oliver came back to where she was, retrieving silverware now. “Probably to make sure I was still talking to her…but she asked about Connor. She wanted to know when we could do a big family dinner at the house…”

“I think it’s way too soon for that,” Felicity told him quickly.

“That’s what I told her.”

“She has to understand that it’s going to take time.”

“But she wants to see him.”

Felicity sighed. She had mixed feelings about that. Felicity poured the water and pasta into the strainer in the sink, so that it would drain. To her, Moira had basically given away her right to be a grandmother to Connor when she basically paid his mother off to keep out of Oliver’s life. But at the same time, Felicity felt like it was important for them all to be a family. Even if it didn’t always seem like it, they all needed each other. 

“I guess that we might actually have to invite her here,” Felicity spoke up after a long moment. 

Oliver didn’t respond right away. He had set the silverware out and glasses. Felicity had gone to the fridge to pull out an array of dipping sauce options, which she handed off to Oliver who in turn put them on the table. “I told her that we’d get back to her…that we can’t rush things…and that we can’t overwhelm him…”

“That’s all true…and it’s the right thing to do even if your mom doesn’t think so,” Felicity responded. She moved back to the stove and started to get the cheese sauce ready. Dinner wouldn’t be much longer and she was certain that Connor would be hungry, she just hoped that he actually ate it. “I hope she understands.”

“Me too.”

The rest of dinner was put together in silence and eventually, it all made it to the table. There would be more dishes to clean than normal because of how Felicity decided it should be presented, but hopefully it would be well worth it. Plus, it was sort of nice setting up dinner like that and getting ready to sit down and eat as a family. She just hoped that Connor joined them. “Do you want to go and tell him that it’s time for dinner?”

“Felicity—“

“Just tell him, Oliver,” Felicity told him. “Just let him know and leave his door open.” She shrugged. “let him make the choice. That was really all they could do. 

Oliver disappeared and Felicity brought out beverage choices and set them out as well. The table was perfect and everything smelled good. Even without the veggies, Felicity was actually sort of excited about eating dinner. She sat down and waited for Oliver and hopefully Connor to join her. A few minutes later, Oliver appeared by himself and didn’t look too happy. Connor most likely hadn’t said anything… It was to be expected, she supposed, but she couldn’t stop keeping her hopes up for something different. 

“It’s okay,” she whispered as he sat down with her. “He’ll join us when he’s ready…”

Felicity and Oliver started dinner without Connor and were eating quietly when out of nowhere, Connor appeared and slipped into the empty seat. His attention was on the plate in front of him. Both Felicity and Oliver took notice, but they both stayed quiet. It was best not to make a huge deal out of it and possibly scare him back to his room. Connor just coming out of his room for something more than the bathroom was a huge deal. 

So, they just waited. 

“Thank you,” Connor whispered, but it could just barely be heard. 

No one said a word for a long moment and then Felicity, not sure exactly for what reason Connor was thanking them, spoke up. “You’re quite welcome,” she told him. She scooted forward in her seat and started to put some food on the kid’s plate. “I hope you like macaroni and cheese and chicken nuggets,” Felicity said evenly. “Wasn’t sure what kind of sauce you like, so we pulled a bunch of different options out.”

Without another word, Connor started to eat the food on his plate. 

“How about something to drink?” Oliver asked.

Connor just nodded.

Oliver poured some lemonade into his glass. Felicity went back to eating her dinner, though doing so much slower. She wanted to make sure that Connor didn’t stop eating before he was done or it to be awkward for any reason. It was definitely a step in the right direction and they really couldn’t ask for more than that. Felicity looked over at Oliver. She was glad that he seemed to look like he wasn’t carrying so much anymore. Sometimes it was the small things that really made the bigger difference. 

Small steps were okay.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…


	8. Strong Enough

Felicity had been working silently at her desk at Queen International all morning, it was odd still not to have Oliver there, but she still felt like it was in Oliver and Connor’s best interests to have the time alone at home. She honestly felt helpless and useless to help foster a bond between the two of them. It just ended up being plain awkward. Things just would pile up at the company without her AND Oliver there, so Felicity just used that as a better reason for her to go into work. 

“You still haven’t told him.”

Sighing, she looked up to see Sara at her door. Sara’s voice hadn’t been accusingly, it had been more of a quiet matter of fact…with a hint of ‘I don’t approve of this’ and ‘You should have told him’. It was true, Felicity hadn’t told Oliver that she was pregnant. It just never seemed like the right time. Things were hard enough and it was like they’d made a big enough step just getting him to the table for dinner even if he didn’t say anything. How could she put the news of another child on Oliver? Felicity knew that the excuse of it not being the right time wasn’t going to fly with Sara, but she really didn’t know what else to say. 

Her head tilted sightly as she fiddled with a pen between her fingers. “I—I will…it’s just—“

“You can’t be in this alone…even if you’re not really alone,” Sara reminded her. “I’m going to go and do the coffee run. I’ll bring you decaf,” she said with far too much of a smirk on her face. 

Decaf.

Felicity couldn’t help but smile in response, though she wasn’t sure why exactly. Obviously Sara was going to take far too much joy in the fact that she really needed to switch off of the caffeine and so far, she’d done it. Of course, it’d just been one day. One day was definitely a win. She just wasn’t sure how she was going to survive for MONTHS without it. Felicity was certain that she’d make it somehow. 

She’d gone back to working on e-mails and looking over the schedule for the next week. Felicity knew that they were really going to have to figure out a way to balance things with their lives now that they had Connor. There were days that were coming up that required that Oliver be at the office with both her and Tommy. There was just no getting around it. The company merger was still too new and they had to keep on impressing. 

“Do you have a minute?”

Her eyes moved from the schedule on her computer screen, Felicity realized that she’d been tapping her pen against the side of the keyboard. She stilled and moved her full attention to Tommy. “Hey,” she said with a smile. The downfall of how busy and stressed she’d been was that she’d had far too little time to spend with Tommy and Thea. That’s not how she wanted things to be, but she knew that they both understood just the same. At least she SAW Tommy at work, so there was that…especially since she’d been hiding there instead of being home during the day. “Sure.”

Tommy walked into the office and Felicity could already read the worry all over his face. She had no idea if this worry had to do with his relationship with Melanie, with the company, or if this worry face was for her and Oliver. It was all possible. It was also possible that he knew something about Thea that she didn’t…but she doubted it. Sara would have said something if that was the case because Roy would have likely been connected and moping around the Foundry. They all had a low tolerance for moping, no matter who was doing it…but especially when it was Roy.

“I decided to propose to Mel,” Tommy announced as he shoved his hands into the pockets of his slacks and he neared her desk.

Felicity immediately lit up. She was so happy for Tommy, for Melanie, and of course Clarke. She knew that they would be happy together. Tommy really deserved that happy ending. Getting up from her desk, she rounded it, not caring if someone saw her hug him. “I’m SO happy for you!” she told him completely excited for him, all other thoughts momentarily forgotten. “If you’re going to propose…then why do you have worry face?” Felicity asked as she motioned in a circle around her face. She’d hug him in a moment, once she got her answer and knew why he looked so concerned. “Are you worried she’ll say no?” 

Tommy smiled then and looked down for a moment before looking back up at her. “I’m not worried about her saying no,” he said. He seemed so incredibly happy now, happier than she was fairly sure she’d ever seen him. “She already said yes. I proposed last night.” 

It took her a moment to fully absorb what Tommy was saying. He’d already proposed. She’d said yes. Tommy and Melanie were going to get married. Felicity finally closed the distance between them and hugged him. “I’m so glad! I don’t know why you were making worried face! I’m so happy for you two!” 

“Actually,” Tommy spoke up after they separated. “I’m worried about you…”

Felicity sighed. “Everyone’s always worried about me…”

“I have the right to worry about my sister,” Tommy reminded quietly with a smile. “You’ve just not looked…well…” 

“Is that the polite way to say that I look like crap?”

His head shook and he seemed a tad bit amused. “Maybe…but I only say that because I care… I know you went to the doctor and apparently you’re ‘fine’,” he said using air quotes. Tommy didn’t seem convinced at all. “But I can tell that there’s something going on that you’re not telling us…well, me… Sara knows, that’s obvious.”

Felicity was a horrible liar. 

Maybe that’s what Tommy was banking on, knowing that she was horrible at lying. That if he caught her lying, that she’d have to spill out the truth to him. That would probably normally work…but this…this was something different… No one else could know until she told Oliver, it just wasn’t right. “You had a secret,” Felicity blurted out and then it took her a moment to decide where she was going to go with that. “Proposing to Melanie…”

“Come on, it really wasn’t a SECRET.”

“I would have been texting you last night to find out how it went if I had known you were going to propose to her LAST NIGHT,” she told him. “I knew you were thinking about it, but you didn’t tell me when or how you were going to do it… Just be prepared later this week when I feel more up to grilling you for details, that you are going to give me the whole story…every single detail.” 

Tommy was smiling at her. “Okay, okay… That’s fair. But you—“

“I’m medically well,” Felicity told him calmly. “If you’re worrying about my health. Don’t.”

“Okay,” Tommy said slowly, but worry was still all over his face and he didn’t look so convinced. “But I know that everything…Connor…home hasn’t been easy…”

“Connor’s making progress,” Felicity told him. “It’s slow, but it’s not like we expected him to just get over losing his mother and act like we’ve raised him all his life.” She paused for a moment and bit her bottom lip. “Though.” She paused again. “I certainly didn’t expect for him to just not talk to us…but you know, small steps…”

“You know that we’re all here for you guys.”

Felicity smiled and nodded. “We know. We do… We’re just trying not to overload Connor. We’ve been trying to give him space and let him come to us…”

“And it’s working?”

“I think so.”

“But if there’s something else,” Tommy said. “Whatever Sara knows that I don’t,” he reminded. “I’m here for you, Felicity. I don’t want you to forget that. Even though Oliver and I are friends, that doesn’t mean that you can’t come to me, too… I’m not going to betray your confidence to him…”

“You’re sweet," Felicity told him as she touched his arm for a moment. “I really do appreciate it.” She paused. “But you know, I’m okay… Things are going to be okay… They’re just a little rocky…and I just need more sleep…”

“You guys can BOTH take the time off,” Tommy told her. “I can run things here for a while without you guys…”

Felicity had no doubt that he could, but she’d feel extremely guilty if she left him there without her or Oliver’s help. Plus, she still thought it was best for Oliver to be home with Connor during the day. “I appreciate that…but right now, it’s best that I’m here…”

“You need more sleep, though, remember?” Tommy questioned.

She had just said that.

Sighing, she smiled at him. “I know…maybe I just need to come in late a couple of days…”

“That sounds like a compromise…”

“You can’t expect me to just leave the weight of Queen International on you,” Felicity told him as she tilted her head. “Plus… When Oliver DOES come back and you pretend to give him a hard time about not being here…I might as well be in on it.”

Tommy chuckled. “Okay…okay…” He seemed okay now, Felicity just hoped that he was and that he stayed that way…at least until she could tell him everything. She hated keeping secrets, but this was one that Tommy would have to wait to hear. “Lunch later?”

“Can we do it tomorrow maybe?”

“Sara?”

“Jealous?”

“Thinking about it,” Tommy teased.

“Sara AND Digg,” Felicity told him. “We made the plans last week…”

“No worries…”

“We better get back to work,” Felicity said as she motioned to her computer. “I’ve been trying to figure out everything Oliver was supposed to be working on this week—“

“Send me half of it.”

“You sure?”

“Positive.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Why do you keep giving me that look?”

“What look?”

“The look that I’m not sure if it’s about Oliver or John,” Felicity explained. “Did you tell him?” she asked finally as they walked towards the restaurant door. Diggle was meeting them there. That was really the only thing that Felicity could think that could have happened. Maybe Sara was hoping that she’d just guess whatever she was getting looks for.

“No," Sara replied.

Felicity stared at Sara for a moment when she opened the door. “Why don’t I believe you?”

“I didn’t!” Sara said quickly as they walked in. She held her hands up in defense. “It’s not my fault that he figured it out though…”

Felicity sighed. 

Oliver was going to be the last to know at this rate. She HAD to tell him, she knew that. She just hadn’t expected everyone to know one way or another by the time she actually got around to doing it. Felicity supposed that at least she knew that going into lunch, so it didn’t shock her later. The last thing she needed was to start choking in the middle of lunch because Diggle said something while she was trying to chew or swallow her food. 

“I swear!” Sara told her. “He guessed!”

They were guided to the table where Diggle was waiting. Even though Diggle was technically on ‘time off’ because Oliver wasn’t going into Queen International, John Diggle was dressed in a suit. It surprised Felicity slightly, but he looked good. It was a little odd not seeing him every single day like she’d come so accustom to. “There are my two favorite girls,” John told them and kissed Sara before hugging Felicity. It definitely seemed a little different than normal, but he seemed different too. Diggle seemed happier… 

The three of them sat down and Felicity caught Diggle looking at her. She covered the side of her face with her hand and tried not to blush. “Sara already told me that you know,” Felicity said quietly.

“I guessed! I promise,” Diggle defended quickly. “You and I are close, right?”

Felicity nodded.

“You don’t think that I noticed the symptoms? The glow?”

“That’s exhaustion,” Felicity corrected with a small smile. 

“Whatever you call it, I’m happy for you…both of you…even if Oliver doesn’t know yet,” Diggle said. He paused for a long moment. “Just know that I’m going to be the best uncle…”

There was something comforting about Diggle being so excited about the baby. Maybe it just made her feel a little better about telling Oliver. “I’m going to tell him tonight,” Felicity said quietly a moment later as she looked over the menu. She smiled a little brighter and looked up at Diggle. “And you’re going to be a great uncle…”

“What if it’s a girl?” Sara teased him.

“I can teach girls things…” Diggle defended a little irked.

Felicity grinned. “Though, you know you’re going to have competition for best uncle with Roy and Tommy…”

“It’s me… I’m going to win,” Diggle told her confidently.

The trio ordered and ate their meal, most of the baby talk had been side-tabled. It was just nice to be out with friends. Being in charge had its perks. She wasn’t too concerned about how much time they took at lunch, though they didn’t take an extraordinary amount of time. It was nice to just sort of relax. This was probably the closest that any of them got to really leading a ‘normal’ life. 

“You ladies want me to come back with you? Or shall I got back to the Foundry?”

“So you can play Candy Crush?” Sara teased.

Felicity’s mouth opened, but it took her a moment to really take in what was being said. “Please PLEASE do not tell me that you have installed that onto MY computer…”

“Technically…I think it’s the TEAM’S computer,” Diggle said slowly. “And I didn’t install it…but I might PLAY it when I’m bored…”

“I could be more distracting,” Sara spoke up and had a very mischievous smile on her face.

Shaking her head, Felicity sighed. “Now I NEED to go to the Foundry so I can check on things…”

“Things still work,” Diggle defended.

“Plus, TONIGHT, you NEED to talk to Oliver…” Sara told her.

Sara was right.

That didn’t mean that Felicity wasn’t thinking any less about how messed up the computer in the Foundry might be. “Please just tell me that Roy hasn’t messed things up again.”

“I tell him not to touch it,” Sara said quickly.

Diggle shrugged. “Sometimes he’s already there when we arrive… I suppose there COULD be a way to program it to shock him if he touches the keys,” Diggle joked with a half. 

Felicity thought seriously about that for a moment. 

“Is it REALLY that big of a deal?” Diggle asked.

Sara and Felicity were staring at him now. “Do you not remember how long it took me to get the computer, the servers, and the Foundry back into perfect order when I got back?” The last thing she wanted was to do that. She especially didn’t want to listen to Roy complaining about having to help her do it. “That should be reminder enough for everyone /not/ to mess with things that are my realm.”

“I’ll remind him.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Do you have a minute?”

Felicity looked up from her desk and smiled a little. It was a little like deja vu. “Didn’t we do this this morning?”

“Oh, what did I miss?” Sara asked from the couch, where she’d been mostly napping. Normally Sara would be doing some other kind of work related task, but with Sara, Diggle, and Roy picking up the slack at night, Felicity felt like it was only fair. 

“Tommy and Melanie are engaged,” Felicity said quickly with a smile towards Sara and then looked quickly towards where Tommy was standing, her face fell suddenly. “It’s not a secret, right? Because I didn’t think it was—“

“No,” he said with a smile and a slight laugh. “I just—you were the first person I told. I was sort of waiting for things to calm down.”

“Exciting!” Sara told him. “Is this the part where we get to hear the whole story about how you proposed?”

“Actually,” Tommy said and looked around. Felicity thought that perhaps it was to see where the assistant was. They could see her at her desk, which was far enough away that she wouldn’t be able to hear their conversation. “I wanted to talk more about how you…all of you make it work…”

“Make what work?” Felicity asked. 

“Living in two worlds… Telling lies to the ones that you care about most in the world… Still being sane about it at the end of the day,” Tommy said slowly. 

Felicity knew exactly what he meant. The thing was, now, everything was in the open with their circle…Melanie and Clarke were really the only ones that they knew that didn’t know everything. She still understood. There were days where their assistant would ask if she was okay and she’d think of all the stories she could tell her… 

It wasn’t easy. 

It never had been.

Connor.

She realized that now there was Connor. They couldn’t exactly be like ‘Your dad and I are sort of heroes…but it's a secret…’ There was no way that that would ever stay secret and that wasn’t a weight that they needed to put on him. Still, she hated to have to lie to people…you would think that you got used to it, but it still hurt a little.

“You just figure it out,” Felicity said. 

“It becomes a way of life… It’s like you’re two people sometimes,” Sara spoke up.

Felicity didn’t envy him. Lying to Melanie was going to be hard. The thing was, the things he had to lie to her about weren’t going to be as big…he didn’t NEED to take shifts in the Foundry. HE had in the past, but she hadn’t been expecting him to do it now… “Not telling her that Thea and I are your half sisters isn’t going to be a hard thing,” Felicity tried to assure. “You and Thea grew up together… Your best friend is my husband AND we run Queen International together. She’s going to understand why we’re all so close…”

He seemed to be thinking about it for a moment. “What about nights?”

“What about them?” Sara and Felicity asked together.

Tommy smirked. “You and Oliver need time—“

“That’s not on you,” Felicity argued. 

“You’re my sister…he’s my best friend…” Tommy reminded. “I WANT to help.”

“I’m just going to stay out of this,” Sara said and laid back down on the couch. 

Felicity sighed. She understood this wanting to help, but…how did she explain it to him so that he wouldn’t feel the need to volunteer? “Tommy, you know how dangerous it is…”

“I do.”

“Oliver—“

“You guys can’t just push me out,” Tommy argued. “Look, I think I knew about Oliver’s little operation before everyone…and I was a jerk to him then. THIS is my second chance to do things right… You’re NOT the one choosing for me to do this, Felicity, I am.”

Silence.

“You sound like me,” Felicity whispered suddenly, breaking the silence. “Oliver used to always try to protect me…” She laughed lightly. “I guess he still tries to…” She nodded for a moment and tried to think of the right words to say. “I always pushed for things to be MY choice whenever he wanted to take that choice away.” Somehow, she’d taken on the thought that Oliver’s crusade was just as much hers…maybe it had been all of her time with the team or maybe it was because now she and Oliver were married. Whatever it was, she supposed that she could see both sides now…and she could see exactly why Oliver hadn’t liked her wanting to step up, to make her own choice in what they did. “If we’re going to do this, we need to do it together, right?” 

“As a family,” Tommy added.

Felicity just nodded and Tommy seemed happy about it. She still wasn’t. Being part of Team Arrow meant more than lying to those close to you. It meant taking risks. Risks that affected your entire life. It also meant that those close to you, if you were found out, would become targets. He didn’t want that on Tommy…and she didn’t want that to weigh on his life. To worry every moment about Melanie and Clarke’s safety. 

Tommy was gone and it took her a couple of minutes before she could bring herself back to her work. She wasn’t going to be able to concentrate on any of the paperwork or e-mails, though. She sighed as she sunk down into her chair, her hands covering her face. “Oliver is NOT going to be happy…”

“He’ll get over it,” Sara chimed in.

Maybe.

The truth was, Felicity wasn’t happy about it either. One of them should have some kind of normal life and she knew that Thea really was the one who had the best chance at that…but with her and Roy together…she honestly wasn’t sure how possible that was going to be for them. They were young and carefree, though… Thea had Verdant. Felicity supposed that Thea was luckier than she and Tommy, Thea still had Moira. Moira Queen wasn’t going to let anything happen to her daughter. Maybe Thea would still make it being the more normal one of them all…

“Just another thing I have to tell him…”

“I think you can text him that one.”

She laughed in response to Sara’s comment. “That’s true.”

“Tonight, though, Felicity…” Sara said as she sat up again. 

Felicity’s hands dropped. It was so easy to say she’d do it, but it was quite another thing when she got home and saw him…to hear about how things had progressed with Connor. By then, she just felt like she couldn’t add to his day. “I know,” she whispered. “Are we sure this isn’t something I can text too?”

She wasn’t serious.

Well, she almost wished she could because she was worried about how he would respond. Everyone had assured her that he’d be happy and even though she’d told herself that it would be okay, that they’d figure it out, she still worried about it. A baby…that was a huge step. 

“You know, you could probably go home early,” Sara suggested.

“I still don’t even know how I’m going to tell him.”

Sara moved from the couch and sat across from Felicity. “Maybe we should stop by the Foundry, get you an ear piece,” Sara teased. “Then you can just repeat after me.”

Felicity couldn’t keep her smile away, but shook her head. “I know what WORDS to say, it’s just…it seems like there should be some other component…”

“You saw John, right?”

Diggle HAD seemed pretty excited.

“You just need to stop overthinking it,” Sara pushed.

Maybe she was right.

All of this were things that she already knew. This was all stuff that she KNEW. It was dealing with it that was the hard part. “Everything since Thea, Tommy, and I have gotten back,” Felicity spoke up quietly as a tear fell down her cheek. She sniffled and pushed it away, she hadn’t wanted to break down. “Everything between Oliver and I has been forced…planned…”

“I don’t think ‘forced’ is quite the right word,” Sara interrupted. “Maybe pushed faster…”

“I guess I just thought we’d have more time… You know?” Felicity had hoped that it would be a discussion where they’d have time to really discuss having a baby, where they’d have all kinds of time to practice, and when it finally happened…that she’d KNOW that Oliver was going to be over the moon. Things had been going good for them, but now…everything had changed and Felicity really didn’t like getting back to the point where their lives were overly complicated.

“I know that Moira and Malcolm planned everything out for you two,” Sara said gently. “They had a timeframe for it all.” She was quiet for a long moment and then reached out and took Felicity’s left hand. Her fingers pressed against the rings on her finger. “But these rings…these were not planned by them. These were chosen by Oliver. He decided when to give them to you. He decided what they were all to mean for you two…whether it was a promise or some kind of vow… That was all Oliver,” Sara reminded.

That was true.

“The proposal...that was all Oliver…”

Felicity knew that for certain. She smiled at the memory. “Only Oliver would think giving me a heart attack by thinking he was dying on some rooftop was romantic…” 

Sara smirked. “See…”

“Maybe we do do everything at our own pace,” Felicity said quietly. She knew that she would feel so much better if she just did it. All the waiting was actually making it worse. It gave her far too much time to think things over. 

“Believe me, Felicity,” Sara said with a smile. “We all have our own pace…whether things are planned or not…and we’re all strong enough to take on whatever comes… That includes you and Oliver.” 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…


	9. Deep Breaths

Felicity came home with one thing on her mind. Telling Oliver about the baby. She’d pretty much mentally told herself the whole way home how the conversation was going to go. But now that she was walking into the house, all of that seemed like it had faded from her mind. She came in to the sounds of Connor. It was an odd sound. It sounded like he was playing, most likely with his action figures from the sound of it. She smiled a little, the sound of children in the house…

Quietly, she closed the door. Felicity set her keys down inside of the door after locking it. Her coat was put up on a hook and then she quietly ventured into her home. She found Oliver sitting in Connor’s doorway, the sound of Connor playing was louder here. She smiled at he seemed pleased even though he was obviously not being included in things. “Hi,” she finally said and moved so she could see Connor too. “Hi Connor.” He stopped for a moment and just stared at her. “Do you mind if I borrow Oliver for a few minutes?” 

Silence.

“I promise I’ll bring him back,” Felicity told Connor cheerily. She held out her hand and helped Oliver up when the boy didn’t argue. 

They walked to their room where Felicity stepped out of her heels and dropped her purse on the bed. Oliver seemed happy, he was quiet but there was something different about him. She sat down on the edge of their bed and watched them for a moment. Sometimes it was nice to just look at him, gauge things for herself. 

“How was today?” she finally asked. 

Oliver stood across from her, his arms crossed over his chest, and he nodded for a good thirty seconds before finally vocalizing his response. “It was good. I mean…obviously he’s still dealing with stuff…”

“Did you sit and watch him play all day?” she asked with a small smile. 

“No,” he told her. “I made lunch, though, and he came out and sat at the table without me having to call him. He sat there and ate, but didn’t say anything,” Oliver explained. “When he left the table, I cleaned up, and when I looked over he was motioning for me to come over. Where I was sitting just seemed like the best place to sit unless he asked me to move closer. Just trying not to invade his space…or push too much.”

This was good.

“I’m sure he appreciates it,” Felicity said. “It sounds like you’ve had a good day.”

“It was,” Oliver admitted and sounded surprised.

Little things.

Sometimes the little things really made your day. 

“I was thinking that maybe we could go out to dinner, if Connor’s up to it?” Felicity suggested. “I think it would be good for you to both get out of the house.” She’d thought that it might also force Connor to be a little more vocal in public. They were making good baby steps, she just hoped that it continued. Eventually, they were going to have to go on with their lives. That meant schedules and compromises and just figuring out everything in general. 

“I actually really would like that,” Oliver said slowly. “But do you think he’ll go for it?”

“Only one way to find out,” Felicity told him as she got to her feet. “We’ll ask him.” She paused as she reached out for Oliver. “But first…” she said before pulling him in for a kiss. The kiss wasn’t something that they rushed. It was long and beautiful and once it was over, Oliver was kissing her back. Oliver having a good day was like a weight being lifted, it almost proved that they were going to get through everything. There was a light at the end of the tunnel.

When they pulled apart, she studied him again for a moment. She was getting worried about him. Oliver really wasn’t one to sleep very much, but that didn’t mean it was GOOD for him. Since they’d gotten married, he’d been so much better at sleeping more. The stress had been down and she’d given him reasons to still be in bed when she woke. Her thumb stroked his cheek for a moment. Felicity in that moment had no idea how she’d been so worried about how he’d react to her news. This was them, they were strong and they were those people who could make it through anything.

“You need more sleep,” she whispered. 

“So do you,” he told her and kissed her forehead before wrapping his arms around her.

They stood like that for a few minutes, her arms wrapped around him as well. She’d wondered how much quiet ‘them’ time they’d have with Connor in the house. But these little moments, they were enough. 

“Do you want me to ask him?” Oliver asked before kissing her forehead again.

“No,” Felicity replied before pausing for a moment. “We’ll do it together,” she told him as she took his hands. This was how they were going to do things. Together. That’s the only way that they were going to to get through anything ahead of them.

The two of them left their bedroom and headed out towards Connor’s room, hand in hand. Felicity just hoped that Connor would be okay with that. It really would be good for all of them to get out. The one thing that she was worried about was there being any paparazzi that would see them out. The existence of Connor hadn’t gone public yet. Felicity vaguely remembered Moira and Walter bringing that up, but she’d not cared about what they had had to say at the time. 

If pictures of Connor came out in magazines and in social media with wild stories before they could come out and give their story. Felicity supposed that they might even leave that up to Moira and Walter to take care of. As much as she didn’t to lie to people, they had a way of smoothing things over. Plus, this really wasn’t the time to drop such a bomb and ensured increased paparazzi coverage on all of them. They needed time. They needed space. They needed privacy. Above all else, they needed sanity.

“Connor?” Felicity said, hoping to capture his attention as they stood in the doorway to the boy’s room. When Connor looked up, she smiled and hoped that this would work out. “We were talking about going out to dinner,” she informed him. “I wanted to see if you would be up for it? I figured you guys have been cooped up at home a lot the last couple of days… Getting out would be nice for all of us.”

At first, Connor was silent and Felicity wasn’t sure if he would actually respond or just stare. Finally, though, he spoke. “Okay.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Being out was nice and surprisingly they’d gotten hardly looks their way. Felicity thought it was because they were trying somewhere new, it was a sit-down place, but it wasn’t fancy. It was homey and comforting. It was Italian, but they definitely were a family friendly restaurant. Their menu was complete with chicken strips with fries, mac and cheese, spaghetti with meatballs, and a child’s size pizza on their kid’s picture menu. 

“Do you know what you want, Connor?” Oliver asked him after they’d all had some time to go over the menu. 

Connor just nodded.

Felicity just hoped that he’d be up to communicate what he wanted once the waitress came over to take their order. It was almost like a test. Probably a test for all of them rather than just for Connor’s communication skills in public. So far, everything had gone well. Of course…so far was leaving the house and being seated at the restaurant. Still. It was going well in her mind. It was a good portion of the evening as far as Felicity was concerned.

“Can I get you all started with drinks?” the waitress asked.

“Can I have a Coke please,” Oliver went first.

You can’t have caffeine, Felicity reminded herself. What didn’t have caffeine? She glanced down at the menu and then looked back up at the waitress. “Spite is good. Thanks.”

“Okay and how about for you?” the waitress asked as she turned her attention to Connor.

When he didn’t answer, she and Oliver exchanged looks before looking over at him. He seemed unsure. “You can have whatever you want,” Felicity offered. It wasn’t like they kept soda at home and it wasn’t like he was on any kind of schedule, so she wasn’t too worried about him getting wired from the caffeine or sugar at the moment. Of course, in a few hours or even tomorrow she might have other thoughts on the subject.

“Can I have a root beer?” Connor asked and seemed unsure.

When the waitress looked towards her, Felicity just nodded and gave her a smile. “Thank you,” she told the waitress.

“I’ll give you a couple of more minutes and be back with your drinks,” the woman told her.

The waitress returned a few minutes later and she and Oliver ordered and then they waited for Connor. It was like the moment of truth. Where Connor likely had to say more than a word here and there in order to communicate what he wanted. Though, Felicity knew that there was also the possibility that he might just point to the pictures on the menu. After all, they made those menus FOR kids, so pointing was sometimes more kid friendly than actually speaking up. 

“Spaghetti and meatballs,” Connor said. “Can I have salad too?”

“Of course you can, Hon,” the waitress told him. “What kind of dressing? You look like a kid who likes ranch…”

Connor stared for a moment. “I do like ranch.”

“I can always tell,” the waitress said with a smile. The waitress collected their menus before she walked away, Felicity figured that it was just a lucky guess. It seemed like kids that age ate ranch on everything. If it wasn’t salad, they were dipping pizza in it. 

They were quiet for a moment, but Felicity spoke up to break the silence amongst them. “So, I was thinking,” Felicity said with a smile as she looked between Oliver and Connor. It wasn’t something that she’d discussed with Oliver, but she’d figured that this was really something that was going to be up to Connor. “Tomorrow, we should do something together. Any ideas?”

“We could go to the park…or something,” Oliver said slowly. 

“Do you work?” Connor asked, his question turned towards Oliver.

Felicity smiled and tried to hold back a laugh. It was a valid question. She had been the only one that had been leaving the house and actually going into work since Connor had joined their family. It had just been the most logical thing to do. 

“I do,” Oliver said with a smile. “I actually work with Felicity…and my best friend.”

“We work for a company called Queen International,” Felicity explained. “We’re actually in charge of things.”

“Like your name is Queen,” Connor said slowly.

This was a lot of conversation from the boy, so Felicity felt like they should keep talking. About anything. About everything. Just to keep Connor talking and maybe for him to understand them better. “You’re exactly right,” Felicity told him. “It’s Oliver’s family’s company…”

“When I was your age, I used to go to work with my dad and he’d let me drink root beer and eat cookies in his office,” Oliver told Connor with a smile. “I know that this has been a lot for you…but everyone wants to meet you. Maybe we could go into Queen International tomorrow so you could see things…and maybe we could have a little lunch and you could just say hi to everyone and then we could go do something more fun?”

Connor was quiet.

“Maybe that’s just a little too much,” Felicity said quietly. She reached out and took Oliver’s hand. Felicity looked to Connor. “I know that you must have had friends back in Central City… Well, we have some friends too…they’re like family to us. Maybe it would be okay if you just met a couple of them?” she offered. It was a compromise, but it was the best she could think up at the moment. “Tommy, he’s Oliver’s best friend since he was little…”

“We got into a lot of trouble together,” Oliver chimed in.

“He runs Queen International with us.”

“Three of you?” Connor asked.

Felicity nodded. “We all work together and somehow…it works.” Sometimes it even surprised her. “And you’ve met John and Sara.”

“We call John by his last name a lot,” Oliver said. “Diggle.”

“So, really…Tommy would be the only new person that you would meet,” Felicity told him. “There are only a few other people that you have to meet, but that can come later…”

Connor was quiet for another long moment. “Okay.”

“You sure?” Oliver questioned. Felicity knew that Oliver didn’t want to push things and that him coming out to dinner with them and speaking at all was a huge step. 

“Yes.” Connor was quiet again, but spoke before either of them could. “How many other people are in your family?”

“I have a sister,” Oliver spoke up. “Thea.”

Felicity bit her bottom lip and looked down for a moment. They couldn’t tell Connor about how Thea and Tommy were HER siblings. It seemed so odd. At the same time, it wasn’t fair to Connor to expect him to keep that secret. Plus, it was confusing, especially at his age. 

“And Thea has a boyfriend…we’re all friends. His name is Roy.”

“And then there’s Walter,” Felicity spoke with. She looked at Connor with a smile. “You’ll love him. Everyone loves Walter. He’s British, so he sounds like he belongs in Harry Potter.” 

Connor laughed at that. 

“He’s sort of my mom’s boyfriend…” Oliver said slowly and that still sounded so weird. “And then my mom. She’s really excited to meet you…when you’re ready…of course.”

“Can we have dessert after?” Connor asked suddenly.

Felicity smiled brighter. The topic was changed, but it was probably for the best. The information about the company and about people that Connor would be meeting was probably just a lot for him to take in and process. “I think dessert’s a good idea…”

“Best idea,” Oliver agreed.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The evening had gone pretty well in Felicity’s opinion. They’d come home and Connor had seemed happy enough. He’d said goodnight and then had disappeared into his bedroom. They’d gone through and checked to make sure that everything was still locked, just out of habit more than actual concern, before finally retiring to their bedroom. 

It was time.

They had to talk.

Felicity had to tell him.

“I’m glad we went to dinner,” Oliver said with a smile as he wrapped his arms around her and kissed her. “You have the best ideas.”

Her hands ran down his arms and she wondered how she should start this conversation. He was so happy right now and Felicity didn’t want to worry him, but at the same time…she couldn’t carry the secret any longer. Felicity had to tell Oliver about the baby for herself as much as because he deserved to know. “You need sleep,” she whispered as she stared down at her hand in his. His lips pressed against her forehead and Felicity closed her eyes as she smiled more. 

“We both need sleep,” Oliver told her. 

It was true. 

“He’s going to be okay, you know,” Felicity told him as she looked up at him, their hands still entwined. 

Oliver was practically beaming at her. It was probably the happiest he’d been since they’d learned the news about Connor. It was almost odd now for her to have him go so long without seeming so happy. Things had changed being married. They both always went to sleep wrapped in each’s others arms and happy…sometimes exhausted, but still happy. That’s how they woke, happy and content with their lives. It had been an odd week to see Oliver in such an unsure place…and for her to feel that way as well. 

“I know,” Oliver told her as he lifted their hands and kissed hers. “We all are going to be okay.”

And she knew that they were.

Things would get easier.

They had to.

Felicity smiled at him and nodded. After a moment, they separated and readied for bed. Felicity had stripped down and put on a pair of lavender panties and a light strappy white nightgown. She didn’t care that they didn’t match. She was tired too. It was hitting her suddenly, but they had to have this talk before they both were too tired. Felicity didn’t want to have the conversation with Oliver only to have him be blurry about it in the morning and have to rehash it. 

Deep breaths.

Pulling the blankets back and adjusting the pillows, Felicity busied herself for a moment as she waited for Oliver to come out of the bathroom. She pulled the hairband from her hair, so that it fell to her shoulders, the band discarded to her nightstand along with her glasses. Once Oliver emerged from the bathroom, she moved to take her turn. She just wanted to remove her makeup and wash her face and then brush her teeth before bed. 

Deep breaths.

Oliver still seemed so happy and she was glad. It almost made things easier, but she was still nervous. It was silly, but she couldn’t help it. What she had to tell him was big news. So, she took time to breathe as she removed her makeup with a wipe and then moved on to wash her face just to make sure she’d really gotten it all off. Felicity brushed her teeth and then decided that she really needed to run the brush through her hair at least for a minute. It was just going to drive her nuts if there were tangles in her hair even if she was going to bed. 

Deep breaths.

Moving out of the bathroom, she found Oliver sitting in bed waiting for her. “I was just texting Tommy,” Oliver told her. “Just giving him a head’s up about bringing Connor in tomorrow and that I won’t be there all day…but that maybe we could order pizza for lunch or something.”

“I think pizza would be a good choice,” Felicity told him. “And root beer.”

Oliver grinned. “Can’t forget that.”

Felicity got into bed and pulled the covers up. Leaning back, she looked over at Oliver, he just seemed so happy. She just wanted to let him ride out that wave…but they couldn’t wait. “Can we talk?” she asked quietly as she stared at him.

His face immediately changed from this glow of happiness to concern. “Of course,” he told her, his voice just as quiet as he turned to her. “You know that…”

“I know you’re so thrilled about today and everything, but we need to really talk…and I keep putting it off because it’s just not seemed like a good time the last few days…”

“You don’t have to keep things from me, Felicity,” Oliver said slowly and calmly, he reached out and took her hands in his as he adjusted his position so that he was directly facing her.

Felicity straightened a bit and stared down at their joined hands. “I wasn’t ready to talk about it,” she admitted. “I,” she told him with emphasis. “I needed the time to really process it.”

Oliver ran his fingers through her hair as he released one of her hands. “I’m here no matter what. We’ll figure it all out together.” He was quiet for a long moment and when he finally spoke again, his voice was quiet and so gentle. “Tell me, please…”

“Before I do, I need you to promise me something,” Felicity told him. The fact that he’d talked about retiring as the Arrow was weighing on her. If anything, everything that they’d been through should have been proof enough that they could figure out how to make everything work. That included being the Arrow.

“Felicity—“

“It’s important, Oliver.”

Oliver was quiet for a moment. “Of course, I will promise you anything that you need.” He was being truthful and completely honest, she knew that. That’s what she needed, too. 

“When you came back to Starling City after being gone for five years,” Felicity started. “You had a list of names, a green hood, and a bow with a quiver of arrows… All of this time later… You’re not just some vigilante…some guy in a hood out there killing people…” Felicity paused again. “The Arrow is a hero…and I don’t want you to EVER feel like you have to give that up…” She squeezed Oliver’s hand when he opened his hand to protest. “Oliver, Starling City NEEDS you. The city NEEDS the Arrow.”

“Felicity—“

“Promise me.”

“Connor—“

“Connor deserves to feel safe,” Felicity told him. “He deserves to believe in heroes.”

“You know how our lives have been even WITH changing nights, how are we going to do that to Connor?” Oliver questioned. “We can’t just leave him home alone...and we can’t take him to the Foundry with us…”

“We’ll figure it out, Oliver,” Felicity reminded him gently. “We always do.”

“I can’t always be the Arrow—“

“Maybe not,” she conceded. “But right now… Our family situation should not stop you. I don’t want you to stop being the Arrow…”

He was very quiet. 

“Oliver?”

“I promise,” Oliver started. “As long as it’s safe for our family and that being the Arrow isn’t somehow hurting relationships…mine and yours…or ours with Connor…”

“That’s fair,” Felicity granted. 

“So?” 

Silence.

Felicity looked down and then back up at Oliver. He still seemed worried, but she felt a little bit better about Oliver being the Arrow. They couldn’t just give up their lives. They were doing good in the world…in Starling City. This was it. This was the time. She had to tell Oliver. 

“When I went to the doctor the other day…the doctor told me more than I was healthy and I just needed more sleep,” Felicity admitted. He looked even more worried now. “I’m pregnant, Oliver,” she whispered.

She waited for a response. His eyes widened and now he looked more shocked than worried. It felt like so much time had passed, but Felicity was certain that it had just been a couple of seconds. Tears filled her eyes as she waited for him to say something. It DID feel good to finally tell him, but it was still so hard to say. 

The sound of Oliver’s breath being pushed out seemed louder than normal. “I—I didn’t expect that,” he admitted. Oliver was hugging her tight before she could react. He just held her and Felicity held onto his arms as she tried to reminds herself that things were going to be okay. “Wait,” Oliver said and pulled her back so that he could look at her. “Are you okay? Are you REALLY okay?”

“Yes,” Felicity said with a nod. “Just was stressed and tired… Fatigue is common in the first trimester…”

“Then you should go into work late…you shouldn’t get up so early…rest as much as you need,” Oliver said, he was immediately turning to concerned and protective. “I don’t want you pushing yourself—“

“I’m fine,” she told him and found herself smiling at his concern. “I’m pregnant…I’m not dying…” 

Oliver wrapped his arms around her and pulled her down onto the bed with him, wrapping the blankets around both of them, his eyes never leaving hers. “Are you sure? About me being the Arrow?” 

She nodded and kissed him. “It’s not like we can’t reassess things later,” Felicity told him. 

Oliver was grinning now, he kissed her forehead and then just held her tightly. “We’re happy about this, right?” he suddenly was asking.

Felicity pulled back and stared at him, a small smile finally slipping fully across her face and staying there. She nodded in silence. It took her a moment to really gain her words. She swallowed and the look on his face, it was almost pride mixed with joy. “Yeah…it’s definitely a happy thing… I just didn’t know how everything was going to work—“

“You worry—“

“You love it when I worry,” she teased and let out a light laugh. 

“You were worried because of Connor, weren’t you?”

Felicity bit her bottom lip and nodded slowly.

“The adjustment with Connor being apart of our family is going to be hard on all of us…but you’re right…it doesn’t mean that we put our lives on hold or that we drastically change how we do things,” Oliver said. “We talked about having a baby…”

“I guess it just all hits us at the same time,” Felicity said. “No matter if we feel like we’re ready for it.”

“I think that’s called life,” Oliver said a bit too matter of factly.

She rolled her eyes a bit and sighed, purposely being slightly dramatic. “I guess we do like to live an unexpected and adventurous life…” 

Oliver’s voice, however, was serious. “Do you ever regret deciding to join my crusade?”

“Never.”

“Good,” he said as the smile reappeared and he was kissing her. She giggled and the kisses didn’t stop for several minutes. “We’re going to have a baby,” he whispered. It was clear from Oliver’s voice that he was happy and even excited about their surprise. 

“We are,” she confirmed and Felicity felt the joy and love that she had felt like she should have been feeling when her doctor had told her, finally flooding her. They were going to be more than okay… 

This was just the beginning of a new chapter.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…


	10. The Grieving Process

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For smoakinhotnerd

When she opened her eyes, she found Oliver staring back at her. He was smiling and seemed content and happy. It was quite a change than how things had been for them. Happiness was something that it seemed like they’d almost forgotten. “Morning,” she whispered. Taking a moment, she stretched her whole body out extending from her head to her toes. 

“Morning,” he echoed and a smile spread even farther across his face. “How did you sleep?”

“The best I’ve slept in a bit,” she admitted as she thought about it. Scooting herself closer, she wrapped arms around him and just enjoyed the fact that she hadn’t heard their alarm go off yet. It was so nice not to have secrets between them and she was certain that along with the fact that things had been going better with Connor, that those things were responsible for her blissful night. 

“Good.” He was still smiling, it was contagious. For so long, a smile was something that had been foreign to Oliver’s face and now here he was smiling like a fool. 

A contagious stupid smile.

Felicity couldn’t stop the smile that widened across her face. Oliver’s mood was definitely contagious. “You’re in a good mood.”

“Is that bad?”

“No, just…making an observation.”

They were both quiet for a long moment. Oliver reached down and pulled her chin upward, so that their eyes met. He leaned in and they shared a long and passionate kiss. His hands moved down along her body and when they finally separated for breath, Felicity wasn’t sure if she could actually breathe. “I’m just…so…happy…” 

He was so sincere.

So happy.

Felicity could hear it in his voice, see it in the way his face crinkled, and see how his eyes lit up. She held his face in her hands as she stared at him. “I’m glad…you have no idea…”

“I know you’re still worried about how things will all work…”

“You know,” Felicity said with a slight shrug. “I’m a girl who likes a plan.”

Oliver smirked. “I love your plans…and even you’re worrying…even when it’s not necessary…”

Felicity smiled back and they were both quiet for a while. “I think that we should keep the news about the baby quiet,” Felicity suggested. “For a while…”

“You mean from Connor?”

She thought about her words carefully. This was delicate, not the baby but rather Connor. “You, Sara, John…Tommy, Thea, and Roy…they should all know.” Felicity was certain that she didn’t need to explain WHY they should know before Connor. There was also the fact that Sara and John already knew, but she and Oliver hadn’t discussed that yet. She’d figured that she’d wait and tell him that after, if he didn’t already guess that they knew. After all, Sara was ALWAYS with her and Diggle was so close to them.

Oliver nodded and spoke quietly as he ran his fingers through her hair. “It’s good to wait anyways, right?”

“Right,” Felicity said slowly. The doctor had mentioned that a lot of people don’t share their news for the first couple of months or at least until you started to show. “I just don’t want him to feel pushed out or unwanted when he’s just finally opening up to us.”

Oliver took her hands in his and kissed them. “You’re already a phenomenal mother, do you know that?”

Felicity felt blush rise in her cheeks. She hadn’t really felt like a mom yet. Maybe it was because Connor was just opening up and she was purposely giving Connor space along with allowing Connor to bond with Oliver. If Connor was going to bond with anyone, Felicity wanted it to be him. There had been so many missed years. Felicity would be happy just being friends with Connor. Her mouth opened to say something, but the knock at the door caught her by surprise.

It wasn’t something that she was used to. Sure, she knew that Connor was there but she still wasn’t quite used to him being there. Eventually, she’d get used to it. It was just going to take some time. Just like it was going to take time for them all to feel like a family.

“We’ll be right out,” Oliver called.

Looking over at the clock, she realized that it was still early. It was sort of nice though. They’d have a nice cushion, but Felicity was certain that it was going to be well worth the extra bit of sleep they’d normally have.

“I just wanted breakfast,” Connor said through the door. “I can get cereal.”

“No!” Oliver said quickly and he practically fell out of the bed. “No, I’m going to make breakfast.” A beat later and Oliver was pulling on pajama pants and a t-shirt before pulling open the door and heading out of the bedroom.

The door shut and Felicity just lie in bed smiling. It seemed like things were going to be alright again. She hoped so at least. Oliver knew about the baby. He was happy and excited about the baby. Right now, though, she was going to enjoy laying in bed for a few more minutes before actually getting up and joining them for breakfast.

By the time Felicity made it to the kitchen, coffee was made and breakfast looked like it was nearly done. “Everything looks and smells so good.”

“Coffee,” Oliver said.

Felicity was going to argue, but she watched as Oliver tapped the caffeine free coffee canister that was sitting on top of the coffee machine. It was the canister of coffee that she and Sara had purchased at the store. She took the cup when it was offered and just smiled for a moment. “Thank you.”  
 “Oliver’s showing me how to make scrambled eggs,” Connor said proudly.

She sipped her coffee before moving so that she could get a better look, Felicity nodded. “Look at you! How is it that Oliver taught you and it looks better than his?”

Oliver flipped pancakes and just seemed amused by the whole thing. “Only the student can overcome the master,” he said in a Jedi type voice.

They all just laughed.

Plates were being dished up when Connor spoke up again. “Can I ask a question?”

“Of course you can,” Oliver replied instantly and Felicity watched as his attention shifted completely to Connor.

Silence.

“I wanted to know about my mom,” Connor said quietly. “If I could go and see her?”

Moira had made all of the funeral arrangements. They had honestly been focusing on Connor and trying to make him feel comfortable while still trying to do everything else. They just hadn’t checked in with Moira since they were giving Connor space to grieve, cope, and adjust.

“Yes,” Connor responded. “But is it okay if you came with Felicity and I to work for a little bit first?”

Connor seemed okay with that response and just nodded at first. “I just miss her,” he said quietly.

Felicity slid across from Connor at the table to take his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. “Of course you do,” she said. There was a pause. “How about we take some flowers?”

“She liked flowers.”

“What was her favorite color?”

“Pink.”

“Then we’ll get pink ones.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

They didn’t even care about people seeing them out and about with Connor. Mostly because they’d be driving directly there, parking in the structure, and then taking the elevator up. There really wouldn’t have to be much time in public. If anything, the employees were going to be the ones talking at Queen International. Also, Sara and Diggle were on the job and were meeting them in the parking structure, so it would make shielding Connor easier.

“I promise we’ll be out by lunch,” Oliver promised Connor as they got out of the car. “Maybe we could go out to lunch after?”

“Let’s take it a bit at a time,” Felicity said as she got out of the car as well. They’d waited to get out until Sara and Diggle were parked next to them and getting out as well. It just seemed safer that way, even though Felicity KNEW that Connor was safe with just them. They just wanted this to go as smoothly as possible. 

“Hey Connor,” Sara greeted with a bright smile as she carried a drink carrier in one hand and a bag in the other. Diggle came around the car with just a smile in place as he carried another drink carrier and a recyclable bag. “We all ready?”

“You brought coffee?” Oliver questioned.

“Even brought Felicity her special one.”

Oliver looked over at her and Felicity shrugged. So, she hadn’t really gotten around to telling him that Sara and Diggle knew. it wasn’t her fault. They just hadn’t had time because they’d spent so much more time than she’d expected with Connor that morning. “Special coffee?”

“Sara…and then John just…” Felicity started to ramble.

Diggle seemed more amused than normal. “Glad that we’re all finally on the same page.”

“Do the others?” Oliver asked.

“No,” Felicity answered knowing the full question he wanted to ask. 

“Don’t worry, Connor,” Sara spoke up. “John and I totally have you covered to ensure that you do not end up bored, sleeping, starving, or dehydrated.”

“You got me something?” Connor asked, perking up a bit.

“We even got something for Tommy, assuming he’s on his best behavior today.”

Felicity just smiled at that comment and squeezed Oliver’s hand when he took hers once they were in the elevator. This was the first time that they were all back at the company since learning about Connor. It was a step towards things normalizing. Though Felicity enjoyed their crime fighting adventures, there was something so nice about life having a routine and predictability to it. 

“What’s in the bags?” Oliver asked curiously.

“Surprises,” Sara told him with a smirk. “You’ll have to wait and find out, Ollie.”

The elevator ride upward was a quick one. Once they’d gotten into the elevator, Diggle had held the door close button before holding down the floor they wanted all at the same time. As soon as the elevator started to move, he let go of the buttons and the elevator car didn’t stop once on its journey upward. They all filed out and headed for their offices on that floor. Tommy met them before they could completely make it there. 

It was clear that Tommy was excited to meet Connor and likely that everyone was there that day, even if for a while. Tommy had been so kind as to hold down the fort, so to speak, for a few days now. They’d been making everyone wait to meet Connor, so Felicity could understand why he was excited. Plus, Diggle and Sara had already met Connor since they’d helped them get Connor from Central City to Starling City. 

“Tommy,” Oliver greeted with a smile. He hugged his friend for a moment before turning towards where Connor was standing in the middle of the group. “I’d like you to meet Connor. Connor, this is Tommy. He’s been my friend since I was your age.”

Felicity stayed back a bit, just in case Connor panicked or anything. She honestly had no idea what to expect from the boy, this could be a big step for him or they could be taking two steps back. They really wouldn’t know until they saw his reaction. It could all be too much for him, but Felicity hoped not. She would hate to think that they were pushing him too much, before he was ready.

“Hi,” Connor said quietly, but didn’t move.

“Hi,” Tommy replied back with a smile. “Hopefully you don’t mind coming in today, I know it might seem boring, but I’m sure Felicity could download a game or something.”

Sighing, she shook her head. “You do realize that a memo went out telling people that they weren’t allowed to download games onto the company computers, right? There’s too much possibility of contaminating our secure servers.”

“So, you just do the streaming kind…like Candy Crush.”

Sometimes Felicity wondered how the company computers (and for that matter, those in the Foundry) had lasted this long without having some kind of heavy cyber incursion. It was a miracle, really. She just didn’t know if Tommy (and Oliver for that matter…and Roy —when it came to the Foundry) liked to make her worry more about their digital security or if they just really didn’t get it sometimes. It likely could be both. 

They all headed towards the offices and Felicity didn’t miss the look of slight sympathy from Sara. She definitely understood how Felicity felt about those kinds of situations. There had already been a point where she had had to clean up the Foundry because the dust could have compromised and overheated not only the computers, but also the servers…but she'd also had to ‘fix’ the computer after Roy had rearranged and deleted icons and had just generally screwed with her set-up. 

Ending up in one office, they started to take seats and Sara and Diggle started to hand out coffees and drinks. “And hot chocolate for you,” Sara said as she handed it to Connor. “You DO like hot chocolate, right?”

Connor nodded.

“Marshmallows? Whipped cream?”

Connor nodded quicker.

Sara just smiled at him. “Good.” 

Felicity sat happily sipping her decaf coffee and hoping that the day would go by smoothly. Of course they weren’t going to be there all day, but she could still hope for things going easily. “You know it’s sweet, but you guys didn’t need to go to all this trouble,” Felicity told them.

“We don’t discourage such lovely things,” Tommy told her with a smile.

Rolling her eyes and shaking her head, Felicity had to admit, she really had missed relaxed times with Tommy. She’d likely have to make arrangements to be able to tell him, Thea, and Roy the news, as they didn’t know yet. It was a secret that had kept her from being completely honest with him, which bothered her, and had made her probably a bit too tense the last few days. 

“I just figured that this would make the day a lot easier,” Sara told them before handing the plastic recycled bag to Connor. “And hopefully this will keep you from being too bored… I wasn’t exactly sure what you’d like, so John and I got an assortment of a few things.”

Connor just stared at Sara. “It’s for me?”

Sara nodded.

He pulled the handles of the bag apart and peered inside. His eyes widened a bit and then he looked back up. “It’s for me?”

“It’s for you, Buddy.”

Felicity realized that Connor really wasn’t used to a big family. From the pictures at his home in Central City, it had really only been him and his mom. His grandfather obviously hadn’t been involved and as far as could be seen, nothing else had shown that Connor and his mother were really close to others. Here he was, coming into this family which really wasn’t that huge. The Queen family was her, Oliver, Thea, and Moira (and sometimes Walter was included), but in reality…their family included Tommy, Sara, John, and Roy too. That made their family huge, and it probably seemed so much larger to Connor since he was used to it being just him and his mom. It would take some adjusting, but Felicity just hoped that it wouldn’t be too much for him. 

John set the bag of bagels down on the desk and then they were all settling in while Connor started to pull the things out of his bag. Sara and John had picked him up superhero coloring books, markers, and a couple of action figures from the looks of it. There could be more, but it was really sweet of them to think of Connor. Felicity had thought that he’d brought an action figure with him, but perhaps it was in his jacket pocket or in the car. 

“I really don’t think we have too much to go over,” Tommy started. “Oliver, Felicity and I had prepared summaries of everything that you’ve missed. I think that the three of us just really need to get together in my office and prep for that meeting in a few days…and then just check e-mails?”

“I agree,” Felicity said, figuring that this was not only a good opening to bring Tommy in on her secret, but also to get some work done. Connor would still be able to see them through the glass walls and he could just hang out with Sara and Diggle doing whatever. She was thinking that it might be a good idea, though, for them to discuss getting him a tablet. Eventually, he’d have to go to school there, but if he ever needed to go with them to work or anything like that then at least he’d have something to occupy his time and attention.

“We’re going to be right through there,” Oliver told Connor as he pointed through the glass wall and through to Tommy’s office. “You’ll be able to see us the whole time…and Sara and Digg are going to hang out in here with you, okay?”

Connor just nodded for a moment before finally speaking up. “I’ll be fine.”

At least this environment made it a bit easier to get things done. Connor didn’t have to sit in, they’d get some private time and yet…he could still see them the entire time. It seemed like a win-win. Felicity got to her feet and just hoped that it would all work out and that they could actually get through what they needed for their meeting. Maybe it was best to wait to tell Tommy…at least until they were done going over things…just to keep the distraction level down.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

They’d ended up all going out to lunch together and Connor had opened up a little more. Felicity was certain that it had to do with all of the stories that people had to share about Oliver. Tommy always had some good ones to share, though Felicity wasn’t sure if they beat the ones that Thea had…or possibly tied. Either way, they were good. He’d still been quiet, though, but it was going to take time.

It was all going to take time.

Earlier, they’d told Connor that they would take him to see his mother and that’s what they had done. Felicity and Oliver had taken Connor to pick out a pretty pink bouquet and had taken him to the cemetery. There hadn’t been any kind of service, Moira had discussed this with them and they had just come down to the thoughts that if they had one…it might just be too much for Connor. 

The headstone that Moira had chosen was beautiful and had flowers on either side of Sandra’s full name. The grass had been pieced into place, but it would still need time to grow back. Felicity wondered if any of the choices that Moira had made for the arrangements helped to ease things. Felicity thought that at least there was a comforting fact of his mother being close by if ever he needed to go and talk to her. She and Oliver, though, had stepped back and given Connor space. 

The boy had cried and there had been tears, but he just mostly seemed to want to sit there. That was okay, or at least Felicity thought so. Connor had been through a lot in a short period of time and they really were trying to be supportive as they could be. She and Oliver exchanged looks and she wondered if they needed to wait in the car, they’d be able to still see him from the car. Felicity had remembered that when she had been held captive on the island with Thea and Tommy that Thea had confessed that during the five years that she thought that her father and Oliver were both dead after the Queen’s Gambit had gone down. 

“Do you want us to wait for you in the car?” Felicity asked gently as she knelt down by Connor and put her hand on his shoulder. “In case you wanted to talk—“ He just nodded slowly. “You can take as long as you want. Just come to the car when you’re ready, okay?” He nodded again. Felicity stood and turned to see the look on Oliver’s face, like he didn’t seem completely okay with this idea. There was no need for discussion, so she just took Oliver’s hand and guided him back to the car. 

Once they were out of earshot, Oliver spoke up. “Are we sure we should just leave him?” 

Felicity peeked over her shoulder for a moment. Connor hadn’t moved and she was still fairly certain in their actions right now. “He’s fine,” she whispered. “We’ll be able to see him the whole time. Plus, he might really need this…it’s part of the grieving process, Oliver. He NEEDS this. Connor’s been through a lot.”

He was quiet as they walked back to the car. 

Once they were in the car, Felicity had a feeling that he was feeling better that he could see Connor from the car. She held his hand as they both watched Connor. “He’s going to be okay, you know…”

“I know.”

“WE are going to be okay too,” she whispered as she looked over at him with a small smile as she squeezed his hand lightly.

And they would be.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I have finished my script story "Oracle" and am slowly posting bits of it and am asking for constructive feedback. In exchange, I will happily take requests for story updates ;)


	11. A New Way of Doing Things

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> For serenitymeimei :D

“He seems okay, right?”

Felicity smiled as she folded laundry and watched Oliver attempt to match socks. It was both pathetic and adorable. “He’s fine,” Felicity assured. “Maybe I should have asked him to do the socks.”

Oliver shot a quick look in her direction. “Are you saying that he’d do socks better than I can?”

“It’s highly probably,” Felicity teased and then leaned in for a quick kiss. “It’s okay, though, you’ve got him beat in the bow and arrow department.”

They were both quiet for a few minutes as they continued to fold clothes. They never did this stuff together. Normally, they were struggling to get stuff like this done. So, it was a miracle of sorts. She finished perfectly folding a towel and then let out a sigh. Connor was in bed, so it seemed like a good time to have this discussion. “We need to talk about how we’re going to make things work.”

“What things?” Oliver asked.

“The team. The things we do at night,” she said, still feeling like she needed to be vague in case Connor really wasn’t asleep and would walk in on their conversation. 

“We can’t both go in—“

“So, we’ll work out something so that I can work from here,” Felicity suggested. “I can be on the headset and talking to you all.”

“Do we have the equipment here for that, though? For you to be able to access everything we might need?”

Felicity swore that sometimes the guys forgot who she was. She could find ANYTHING if it was online or accessible by a computer. “It might be smart to put in an upgraded system, a small one,” Felicity suggested. “I mean, I can certainly handle things from my tablet, but it wouldn’t be the same as if I were at the computer at the Foundry.”

“Well, then, maybe that’s what we need to do,” Oliver told her. “What about people being able to trace it here, though?”

“I’ll set it up so that it’ll be nearly impossible to trace back to us here,” Felicity told him.

“Nearly impossible?”

“Nothing’s ever one hundred percent, is it?” Felicity questioned realistically.

Oliver leaned closer to her. “My love for you,” he whispered and then kissed her.

Her lips immediately formed into a bright smile as she kissed him back. It might have been a little cheesy, but it was adorable. Felicity knew it was also true. After everything that they’d been through, she did KNOW that Oliver loved her completely. Once they separated, Felicity just smiled stupidly for a moment as she attempted to fold another towel. 

It took some time before she could pull herself together in order to remember what she was going to say. “We should all sit down and work out some kind of schedule of who’s…working…when,” Felicity said. “Though, I’m starting to think that if we’re all switching nights and I do some nights at the Foundry, then we’re never going to be home at the same time—“

“We can’t do that.”

“I mean, we could have Thea or Tommy run things from the computer in the Foundry, but Tommy has Melanie and Clarke…he’s serious about them and he never signed up for this life, Oliver,” Felicity reminded. “I mean, Thea’s sort of there all of the time anyways…mainly because of Roy, but if she’s not in the Foundry then she’s up running Verdant.”

“We’ll have to figure out a way because it’s not fair to us or Connor,” Oliver told her and his arm wrapped around her and pulled her closer. “Or the baby,” he added quietly.

This would definitely give a new meaning to ‘stay at home mom’, though Felicity didn’t think that she could stay home all of the time. She just was trying not to worry about all that would come once the baby was there because she KNEW she had several months still, they’d figure it out. They could make it work for the company. They had to. 

“We’ll work it out,” Oliver repeated. “Maybe we can text everyone and see if they can meet tomorrow for lunch or something.”

“Connor?”

“We’ll let Thea or Tommy distract him at one end of the table and talk quietly,” Oliver suggested.

She knew that she was the one who was insistent that he couldn’t stop being the Arrow. Felicity had insisted because she knew that no matter what, that the Arrow was always going to be apart of him…of both of them. That life was not something that was easily let go. The city still needed them, now even more than ever…they had a reason to make their city better.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

At first, they’d thought about having food into Queen International and just doing lunch there, but Felicity had decided that it would be far too crowded and it just wouldn’t be as relaxed as lunch out. It wasn’t like there would be a lot of relaxing going on, but Felicity craved SOME relaxation. To not feel like they needed to constantly be on guard. Tommy had arranged for them to have their own room for lunch at a local restaurant and he’d arranged for a spread of food to be ready for them when they arrived, so that they would be disturbed as little as possible. 

At one end of the table, Thea and Tommy sat with Connor. Roy was farther down as well, so that she and Oliver were closer to Diggle and Sara. They needed to make plans, Roy like Thea and Tommy really just needed to HEAR the plan that they came up with. They pretty much would bring them in to help them fill in any holes that they might have in the schedule. They were a family, so they really were always really good at helping each other. 

“Are we really sure that you having a set-up at your home is a good idea?” Diggle questioned.

“I can’t be in the Foundry every night,” Felicity reminded.

“It’s Felicity, she’ll take precautions,” Sara told Diggle and then turned to Felicity. “Right?”

“Right,” Felicity agreed quickly.

The sound of laughter from the other end of the table distracted them all for a moment. It was still such a foreign sound to their ears. Connor’s laugh or even a sentence really. He only really talked when he really had something to say. It wasn’t like he’d completely opened to them still, it would take time and they knew that…a lot of time.

“See!” Sara told them.

Diggle still didn’t seem convinced. 

“Hey, we’re open to suggestions,” Felicity reminded.

“Are you sure about this, Oliver?” Diggle questioned. “You have Connor and—“ He stopped mid sentence and looked around. It suddenly hit Felicity that they had yet to tell Roy, Thea, or Tommy about the baby and they were definitely waiting to tell Connor. “And you know…Felicity to think about.”

“The Arrow is part of me,” Oliver spoke up. “I offered to give it up—“

“I said no,” Felicity said before he could say anything else and their eyes met. This was something that they were both decided upon. Nothing that Diggle, in all his wisdom, could say to change their minds to that. 

Sara shrugged. “I really have never thought of you as the CEO type…but hey…you did it—“

“Not alone,” Oliver reminded.

“You’re never going to be alone,” Sara reminded with a smile. “Everything. We do it together.”

And that was absolutely right.

Queen International.

Team Arrow.

Their family.

Everything was together.

Felicity was glad that Sara had brought that up, that she’d said it. Sometimes she was afraid that she was the only one saying such things to Oliver. She understood Diggle wanting to talk Oliver out of it all, but this was their choice. She just hoped that he would respect that choice.

“Just so I’m clear,” Diggle said. “Felicity’s doing computer work…right? Since…she’s not…uh, trained?”

Roy seemed to suddenly be paying attention to their conversation. “What are you talking about? Felicity’s better trained than I am.”

Then suddenly everyone was staring at her.

Even Connor.

“Roy, Felicity graduated from MIT when she was nineteen,” Diggle started to say. “Of course she’s better with computers than you are! She was trained by some of the best!”

Roy looked even more confused, but everyone else was going back to busying themselves by keeping Connor entertained. “I’m just going to stick with talking about my favorite color at this end of the table,” Roy mumbled as he motioned towards Connor.

Felicity didn’t miss Sara’s sympathetic pat on Roy’s shoulder, it was just a moment, but she couldn’t stop the smile that crossed her face. They really needed to take a moment to tell the others. They needed to make that time and soon, very soon. 

“Give me the paper,” Diggle said as he reached across and grabbed the blank weekly schedule that Felicity had printed out before lunch. He started to write things in and seemed to be done in a blink. “Okay, let’s pass it around and see if that works for everyone.”

“When did you become so good at scheduling?” Oliver asked Diggle and seemed really confused.

“Felicity’s not the only one who fixes your scheduling conflicts on your calendar,” Diggle commented. “Plus, who do you think has been running things with you guys…busy?”

It was true. There was so much that both Sara and Diggle did for them during the day, when they were working at Queen International, that Felicity didn’t think Oliver realized. They all depended on each other so much for so many things, but they were a family…and families help each other where they can.

“This might just work,” she heard Oliver say as he looked over the schedule. 

And it would.

“You’re just going to have to start carrying two suits,” she teased with a smile and a tilt of her head.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

It was the first night that Oliver was back in action as the Arrow. It made things at home a little lonely and had Felicity a little paranoid, though. She kept looking towards Connor’s room to make sure that she wasn’t being too loud and that he hadn’t ventured out. She’d been chatting with Tommy, who wasn’t doing anything that night with Melanie…so he was hanging out in the Foundry. She was fairly sure that he mainly just missed all of them. Tommy was the one who Felicity thought could live a normal life, but since his siblings didn’t…it seemed like Tommy was destined to dip his toes into their life anyways.

“You there?”

“Yeah…just checking the door.”

“That’s like the twentieth time in the last two minutes,” Tommy complained over the comms. “He’s asleep, Felicity. You’ve checked.”

“This is just all so new to me…us…all of us…” Felicity told him. “Though, I was thinking about it and I’m pretty sure that he might think we’re spies before he would think we’re part of Team Arrow. I haven’t decided if that’s cool or absolutely frightening when you’re his age. I guess, it might depend on the child.”

“I think you’ve been thinking too much about this.”

Felicity tilted her head. He was right. She HAD spent far too long thinking about it. She couldn’t help it. This was the first night they were doing this. It wasn’t the same as being in the Foundry. She actually wasn’t sure how she was going to stay sane being home so much without Oliver, but she was certain it was going to work out. 

Suddenly, Felicity was alerting to a crime in progress. Her attention moved to her computer and her fingers danced across the keys. “Guys, we’ve got gunshots reported by multiple callers,” Felicity said over the headset as she immediately pushed the location to their phones. Even if they were out in the field, they’d still have their phones on them. “You should have the locations now.”

“Are the police already responding?” Roy’s voice came over comms.

“Yes, four cars so far, others will join if additional back-up is requested,” she relayed immediately. “Please…just be careful.”

“We’re always careful,” Oliver’s voice finally spoke up over the comms.

She smiled at it and for some reason, there was a comfort in hearing his voice. It was an amazing thing. “Just be…more careful…”

“Don’t worry, we’ve got his back out here,” Sara said. “You and Tommy be our eyes and ears everywhere else.”

Felicity opened her mouth to say something when she heard the door open. She slowly turned in her chair, to face Connor’s door. He was standing there with one of his action figures. “You okay, Buddy?” Felicity asked. ‘Buddy’ sounded so weird to her ears, but she didn’t feel like they were on terms where she could use a more loving term like ‘babe’ or ‘sweetie’ or ‘sweetheart’. 

“I woke up.”

“I—I see that,” Felicity rambled for a moment before getting up and moving towards him. “Did you have a bad dream?” Connor shook his head. Frowning, Felicity crouched down so that she was at his level. The whole not speaking much thing was hard when trying to be a good step-parent. “Do you need a drink?” He shook his head again. She let out a sigh. “Maybe you could tell me what woke you up then?” she suggested. Felicity figured that it was worth it to try to get him to actually TELL her what was wrong.

“Am I going to go to school here?”

School.

Felicity felt a huge weight lifted off of her. Connor was up because he was concerned about school. What a thing for him to be worrying about. “Of—of course! Of course you’ll be going to school! We—we were just giving you some time. We know that this has all been a lot for you,” Felicity told him. “But Oliver and I can look at schools tomorrow, see where we can enroll you, okay?”

“So, I can go to school tomorrow?”

A small smile crossed her face. She just hoped Connor was always so excited about going to school. “No, no Buddy…it’s going to be a few days…maybe next week… I promise we’ll let you know.”

“Okay…”

“That all?”

Connor nodded. 

“Okay,” Felicity said quietly and listened for a moment to the chatter in her ear as Roy, Diggle, Oliver, and Sara talked. Her attention shifted back to Connor. “Why don’t we get you back into bed, okay? Maybe if I put on some music, that’ll help you sleep.”

“I don’t have a music player.”

Felicity frowned. “We’re totally getting you an iPod.” She held up a finger. “Just a minute…I’ll get my tablet, okay? I’ll put it on something you like and it’ll turn off by itself, okay?” Connor nodded again. “Go on and I’ll be in in a minute.” Felicity headed over to the computer and sighed. This wasn’t going to be easy. “Just give me another minute.”

She grabbed her tablet and found Pandora before finding an age appropriate music station and set the timer on it. Felicity walked into Connor’s room, finding him sitting up in his bed. She smiled t him and set the tablet down. “Maybe this’ll help you sleep,” she said as she moved to tuck him in. He didn’t argue and lay back in bed. 

“Who were you talking to?”

“Some friends,” Felicity told him. It wasn’t a lie.

“Where’s Oliver?”

“He’s working late, remember? We talked about it earlier. Don’t worry, he’ll be home soon enough,” Felicity assured.

“Does he work late a lot?”

“Sometimes, but I’m here. That’s okay, right?”

Connor nodded.

“Okay, well try to get some sleep.”

She left Connor and headed back to her computer. He didn’t get back up and she actually checked on him a half an hour later to find him fast asleep before collecting her tablet. They really needed to get Connor a tablet and an iPod or something. They needed to make a list of things that he needed. Or at least things that they needed to buy him in order to make things easier on all of them.

Hours passed. Tommy had left because he was the real responsible adult out of all of them. He was always the first one at the office and so it wasn’t like any of them were going to complain. Eventually Roy left, too, he wasn’t completely gone…but he’d gone to help Thea at Verdant for a bit. Given that it was quiet, it wasn’t a big deal. 

“It’s been quiet,” Felicity said as she swiveled back and forth in her chair. “For…a while…”

“One last circuit,” Sara told her. “Then we’ll head in.”

“Do you need anything picked up on the way home?” Oliver asked.

Felicity smiled at that. “I HAVE been pondering ice cream…”

“Mint and chip,” Oliver responded a beat later. “I’ll pick some up from the twenty-four hour Walgreens on my way home.”

It wasn’t just the ice cream that was extremely appealing, but the idea of eating ice cream in bed with her husband. That’s what really sounded good. Nights like these were going to make mornings harder, but Felicity knew that eventually…hopefully anyways…she’d adjust to the schedule and her body’s need for sleep would too. Even if she wasn’t on comms, she knew that with Oliver out running around as the Arrow, that she wasn’t going to sleep until he was home in bed beside her.

“I knew there was a reason why I married you,” she teased.

She could hear the smile in his voice as he responded to that. “I like it when you tell me all of them.”

“Guys, not over the comms,” Diggle complained.

Felicity giggled. 

“Not that I don’t support your relationship, I mean…it was about damn time,” Diggle continued. There was a pause. “This new system is going to be interesting.”

“If it makes you feel better, John, I can start talking about all the reasons I love you,” Sara teased over comms. 

“That is definitely a PRIVATE conversation,” Diggle came back quickly.

“Felicity and Oliver might be interested in the fact that I love it when you— WATCH OUT, OLIVER!”

Comms were quiet for several minutes. 

Did they turn them off? Had they been disabled? What was going on? There were no current calls into the police. Immediately, she brought up their locations, every single member of the team had a tracker in the boots they wore in the field. Once she found that they were all together, she immediately moved to bring up any cameras in the area. She didn’t care what kind of camera it was, if it had an angle that might give her some knowledge of what was going on, then she needed it. 

The comms crackled back on and the sound of some kind of commotion and then Sara and Diggle yelling her husband’s name, Felicity felt so sick that she was ready to throw up as she typed in the cameras she wanted. They came up just as she swore she heard Oliver’s voice in her headset. Her eyes widened as she covered the ear that the had the headset on it, trying to hear whatever Oliver was saying.

Tears ran down her face as she realized that even if she wanted to run out to where they were, she couldn’t. Not with Connor there. She couldn’t just leave him. That wasn’t an option. Instead, she closed her eyes and silently pleaded that her call would be returned. “Oliver?! Oliver, are you there? Sara? Digg? Someone PLEASE talk to me!”

Silence.

A sob escaped her throat.

“Feli-ci-ty,” Oliver’s voice just barely came through.

Another sob escaped and she found herself cycling through cameras. Half of them were dark, but it seemed like they were back online now. Whatever had happened to their comms, it had happened to cameras in that area too. Someone had knocked them out.

“Oliver? I’m here! Are you okay?”

It was then that Felicity finally found a camera that was not only working, but that the trio came up on. Digg was positioning Oliver over his shoulder. From what she could see, he wasn’t moving. Her mind raced as she went over all of the worst case scenarios. 

“Oliver?”

“We’re taking him to the Foundry,” Sara spoke up and she watched them move out of that camera’s range. In the place that Oliver had been, was a stain of blood on the concrete. Sara’s voice had been even and calm, but it didn’t help Felicity to calm herself. All she could do was worry about Oliver and hate the fact that she couldn’t go to the Foundry.

“Is he okay?”

“He’s lost a lot of blood, but he’s going to be fine,” Sara said. “Oliver’s always fine.”

“What happened?”

“Stabbed…by someone from the League.”

The League.

The League of Assassins.

She really was going to be sick. Things had been better in Starling City. The League had once tried to burn their city, along with Slade Wilson and Isabel Rochev (Talia al Ghul), but all of that had been taken care of. Isabel was dead. Slade Wilson was locked up in a specially made ARGUS prison. Malcolm Merlyn, her father, had given his life to save them…to save Thea. 

Felicity refused to lose her husband.

“I’m coming—“

“Connor,” Sara voiced before she could even get up from the chair.

Silence.

“He’s going to be fine, Felicity. Ollie’s had it worse. I promise you, I’ll call you once we have him stable, okay?” 

“Okay,” she barely got out before she pulled the headset that was clipped to her ear and slamming it down before heading for her bathroom. Tears were pouring down her face and she barely made it before she threw up. Leaning back against the wall of the bathroom, she just cried with her hands over her face as she thought about how she’d been looking forward to Oliver and her eating ice cream together in bed and now…now he was bleeding… She couldn’t go to him. She couldn’t even SEE him, to KNOW that he was okay…she was trapped there. She had no choice. 

He had to be okay.

Had she killed him?

Had her insisting that he not give up the Arrow be what killed him?

 

*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…


	12. Don't Shoot The Messenger

Anxiety.

Panic.

Worry.

Tears.

No one had called.

No one had picked up her call.

All she kept thinking was that Oliver was dead. That’s all she could come up with with no one taking her calls and no one calling her to give her an update. Felicity had been waiting over two hours and had almost gone in and woken Connor up, so that she could put him in the car and drive to the Foundry. 

How long did she wait?

Felicity had paced the living room far too many times. She’d curled up in their bed and cried for a while. There was just so much fear that was coursing through her. She’d ended up sitting on the couch with her knees pulled to her chest, her arms wrapped around them, and her head against her knees. Felicity was just staring at the door, waiting. So tired and yet she couldn’t have been more awake. 

Somehow, she’d started to fall asleep but the sound of the door opening had jolted her back to consciousness in a snap. Felicity’s eyes were immediately on the figure walking through the door. For a moment, she didn’t feel like she could breathe. As he closed the door, watching her the whole time, Felicity got up and moved to embrace him. Her arms flung open and immediately wrapped around him as she pressed herself against his chest. When he cringed and hissed, she immediately loosened her grip and went to pull away, but he held her in place. Tears ran down her face and before she knew it, she was sobbing as she held him.

“I’m sorry,” he whispered.

“I thought you were dead,” she cried into his chest.

His fingers moved through her hair. “Sara told me to call you, but I told them not to worry you more…and…and I don’t know,” he mumbled. He almost looked lost. “I screwed up,” Oliver finally got out. He shook his head. “They cam out of nowhere. But, it took longer to patch everyone up. Sara had a gash in her arm and Diggle’s pretty sure that he sprained something in his arm…”

“Are YOU okay?” Felicity asked as she pulled away from him to look him over.

“Broken ribs.”

Felicity cringed. She’d taped up his side before when he’d had broken ribs. There were so many things that could go wrong with broken ribs, it was just flat out stressful. 

“Some things that needed stitches,” he admitted. 

“Stitches?” she asked as she cringed again. 

“Twelve.”

Twelve wasn’t so bad, she thought. Felicity realized that it was probably the ribs that hurt the most. Oliver was used to cuts and bullets, he acted like he’d skinned his knee with those. It was a little scary actually. She just stared at him and then brushed the tears away. “Can I get you something? Water? Pain killers? Protein bar?”

“I’d be happy just crawling in bed with my wife and sleeping,” Oliver admitted.

“I’m not going to be able to fall asleep so easily,” Felicity told him as she moved to turn off lights. In all honesty, curling up alongside Oliver was what she really needed. It didn’t matter if there were only a few hours until their alarm went off. That was good enough for her. She just needed to know that he was there beside her, alive and breathing. 

“I’m sorry, I don’t know what else to say,” he said finally and just stared at her. Felicity could tell that he was sincerely apologetic and that he hadn’t meant to scare her. It was obviously that he felt guilty and horrible and was in pain even though he’d told her he hadn’t needed pain meds. “Did Connor get at all while…that…was going on?”

Felicity shook her head and she was thankful for that. “The last time he had been up was what you heard over comms.” She didn’t know how she’d have reacted if he’d come out and started to ask questions when she’d been to the point of practically hysterical when she’d been unable to get anyone to pick up a phone and tell her anything and she’d been unable to leave to check on Oliver and the others herself. Felicity really just didn’t know what she’d say in that situation, she was actually afraid that she might snap and react badly. 

Silence.

The two of them just stood there in silence with the lights off, near their bedroom but they hadn’t taken the steps to enter it. “Let’s go to bed,” she finally spoke up as she held out her hand to him. Felicity really didn’t want to dwell on what had happened and she felt like having him in bed with her would alleviate her feelings of worry and helplessness. Or at least she hoped so. He took her hand and they headed into the bedroom. 

They reverted almost instantly to routine. At least Oliver did. Felicity had started to and then had just felt herself swell up with fear. She wanted him to be the Arrow. She did. Felicity was certain that there would be a way to work all of this to make it all happen. 

What if she’d lost him?

What then?

Could she live with herself? Could she live with the fact that she hadn’t been there with him? Felicity just didn’t know how to deal with that. She unzipped her dress, let it drop, and then sat down on the bed in her bra and panties. Felicity broke down without meaning to. She supposed that all of her fears and thoughts hadn’t been pushed out the first time when she’d feared the worst when she had heard nothing. She grabbed her pillow, hugging it, and crying into it. There was something ever so comforting in that. 

“Felicity?”

She wanted to stop, but she couldn’t. The tears fell, the sobs overtook her body, and she was barely able to focus on breathing as the thought of actually losing Oliver went through her head. It wasn’t just that, though, it was being stuck at home and not being there in the Foundry…

“Hey, hey,” he whispered. Oliver pulled her into his arms, pushing the pillow aside, and just held her even though she’d heard him hiss when her body was pressed against his, likely because of his damaged ribs. He was kissing her hair and just holding her.

Time passed, Felicity didn’t exactly know how much had passed but eventually she stilled and was silent. The feeling of half dressed Oliver was soothing as her ear rested against his bare chest, the sound of his heartbeat steady and right. It was almost like a testament to him truly being alive.

“Maybe I shouldn’t be the Arrow,” he said after a chunk of silence had passed.

Would she have reacted like this a year before? Six months before? Felicity really couldn’t say for sure, but she felt like this was a good chance to blame hormones. “I can’t take that away from you,” she whispered.

Oliver being the Arrow was something that she’d thought a lot about. Even before the baby and Connor… After her father had died… After they’d been finally married… Felicity had kept coming back to the same facts and the same thoughts. Part of what she loved about Oliver was the Arrow and the family and friendships that had formed because of it. Felicity didn’t know if Oliver would be the same man she married if they all left that part of their life behind.

He looked at her, almost to the point where it felt like Oliver could somehow see into her soul. “Our family is more important.”

She shook her head and ran her hands over her face for a moment. There were too many emotions and this was definitely too big of a decision to make and right now just was not the time. The League was in town and this just couldn’t be even up for discussion. It was bad enough that she couldn’t suit up and help in the field. Right now, Felicity knew that she needed to breathe and just believe in Oliver and their team. 

“They are,” she whispered as she looked down at her rings for a moment. So much had changed over the last two years. It almost made her head spin when she took the time to really think about it. Felicity sucked in a deep breath and looked up at Oliver. “But it’s more than us, Oliver.” She paused for a moment. “This city…we have to keep it safe…for our family…all of it an all that is still to come.”

They didn’t need anymore words. Felicity removed her bra and tossed it aside before pushing down her panties and stepping out of them before crawling into bed. Oliver, she noticed, followed suit as he dropped his boxers and got into bed with her. She wrapped her arms around him, pressing herself against him as gently as she could without causing him any further pain because of his ribs. It wasn’t about making love, but rather feeling like he was completely right there with her.

Together. 

Alive.

In love.

Partners.

Always partners.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

The night had drone on and Felicity had woken up and found herself unable to go back to sleep. Oliver’s body was still pressed against hers, his arms around her, and his legs intertwined with hers. If only she could always keep him close like this. Felicity didn’t want to be controlling, she just really hated feeling so helpless with how they had to do things now.

Family was the most important thing.

Blue.

Buttons.

Her eyes had adjusted to the dark and she’d been staring at the bracelet that Thea had made for her for her wedding day. Besides her siblings, the bracelet was really the one happy memory she had of her father. A real happy memory. Her fingers brushed against the blue button bracelet before she finally took it and looked it over, her fingers rubbing against each smooth button in turn. 

Love. 

Sacrifice.

Family.

No matter how much Felicity and her siblings hated Malcolm for what he had done to them, he was still their father. He’d done awful things to them, especially to her but she still had found herself loving him in the end and even missing him. The last thing Malcolm had done for their family was to sacrifice himself in order to save Thea. Felicity just hoped that there would be no other sacrifices.

Family.

Her thoughts moved to her mother and she got a bit emotional. It had been years since she’d actually come face to face with her mother. They had never been close or on the best of terms, but since Malcolm had died…Felicity had wondered if perhaps that relationship fault had been hers as well. Growing up, she’d had this perfect memory of her father before he’d left them. Singing and princess dresses and him challenging her mentally. It had all been farce. Felicity knew that now. Now that she was pregnant, she’d just been thinking more and more about her mom and trying to reconnect.

Could they be okay? Even with how much time had passed? They were so different and they’d both said things to the other that the other had certainly taken badly. Did she reach out? Did she tell her mother about her father if she did? And did she tell her mother the truth?

Love. 

There was absolutely NO questioning her love and devotion for her husband. Felicity loved Oliver with her whole heart and soul. The bracelet was slipped onto her wrist, into place, and she tried not to dwell on the ‘what ifs’ and worst case scenarios. Oliver was the Arrow, that wasn’t going to change, Felicity didn’t want him to let it go. She didn’t want him to change from the man he’d become because of being the Arrow. She tried to think of all of their happy moments as she squeezed Oliver’s hand and closed her eyes. Every thought she brought forward were happy moments even if they weren’t romantic ones. It was enough to relax and to comfort her until sleep overtook her.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Breakfast conversation had all been about Connor going to school. He’d said he was ready, so Felicity had called around to see if there were any schools willing to allow them to visit. Surprisingly, Connor had taken the fact that Oliver needed to go into work rather well. Felicity had kept waiting for Connor to say something for Connor to say something about Oliver needing to be there. 

They’d visited two private schools and one public one. Oliver had insisted on looking into both, in hopes that they’d find the perfect fit for not only Connor but also for their concerns. It wasn’t just Connor’s comfort they had to worry about, but also their safety concerns. He just was used to being a boy named Connor in Central City. Here in Starling City, Connor was the son of Oliver Queen and heir to Queen International. He also was the son of the Arrow, which they really hoped to keep from the world for as long as absolutely possible.

“What school was your favorite so far?” Felicity asked him at a stop. She briefly looked over her shoulder at him. He’d stayed fairly quiet and hard to read during the visits. Sometimes it scared her how much alike Connor and Oliver were. 

Connor shrugged.

“You have to have a preference.”

“No.”

“Uniforms?”

“They’re okay.”

Felicity supposed that when she was Connor’s age she didn’t care where she went to school as long as it was a challenging environment. That had always been her biggest problem, not being bored out of her mind because it was too easy. Felicity’s main concern as Connor’s stepmother was to make sure it was a place where Connor felt comfortable and actually liked the place. There was no use in forcing him into a private school if he didn’t feel comfortable there. That would just make them all miserable. Though, Connor’s lack of opinion was not helping her gauge anything either.

“Well, if you don’t particularly have any feelings for these schools then we still have those two other schools we can visit later this week,” Felicity reminded as she drove on towards their home. 

Schools were going to come down to a battle between safety (which was Oliver’s main concern) and academics (which was Felicity’s secondary concern) if Connor didn’t start speaking up about where he wanted to go to school. She had really hoped that things would be a bit easier than that. It was still a lot too fast for Connor, she was certain. That was why she and Oliver hadn’t brought up or been pushing for him to go to school right away. They hadn’t brought it up at all, Connor had been the one to do so. 

They came to a red light and Felicity stopped and waited. Out of nowhere, her car was hit by an arrow. It was the middle of the day! Felicity just stared at it for a moment and then she saw them, League assassins coming towards her with blades of every type. She wondered if they were figuring that she would stay in place, but she didn’t, she blew the light and just made sure that they weren’t going to get into an accident in the process. 

“What happened? Is that an arrow?!” Connor exclaimed from the backseat.

“We’re going to be fine,” Felicity told him. She immediately started to call Oliver. He needed to know what was going on and she needed a plan. She needed to know where she needed to go. She also wished that she hadn’t chosen that day to give Sara the day off. Felicity had wanted their school visits to feel as normal as possible, but right now…she really wished Sara were there with her. As she waited for Oliver to pick up, she tried to keep her eyes open while driving as safely as possible. It rang and rang and rang before finally going to voicemail. Knowing that he was at the office, Felicity used that number instead. 

“Queen International, this is Linda speaking, how may I direct your call?” the voice on the other end of the phone said with cheer.

“Hi Linda, this is Felicity Queen,” Felicity said. “I’m trying to reach Mr. Queen and Mr. Merlyn.”

“Of course, Mrs. Queen,” Linda responded. “I’m afraid that both Mr. Queen and Mr. Merlyn are in an important meeting. Is there a message I could pass along?”

The meeting.

It WAS important.

Felicity took a moment to think. “Tell them that there’s an emergency and I need to have them call me as soon as they get out.”

“Of course, Mrs. Queen. Should I have their assistant interrupt the meeting to deliver your message?”

Normally, Felicity would say yes, but she had other options. The company had to have a priority, though she knew that they’d say not first. “No,” Felicity said quickly. “It’s an important meeting. Just make sure they get it.”

“Of course.”

Felicity hung up and dialed Quentin Lance’s direct number. So many things had changed, including him being promoted to captain of the police department. It rang and all she could think was that he wasn’t going to pick up either. Diggle and Sara were on her list, too, but Lance could coordinate police cars. So far, she hadn’t seen any more assassins, so that was a good thing. 

“What can I do for you Felicity?”

She smiled instantly. Felicity took a breath as she came to a stop before starting to fill him in on what was going on. “The League is in town.”

“I noticed that.”

“They’ve already attacked my car once in the last couple of minutes.”

“Are you okay?!”

“I’m driving with Connor.”

“Who’s Connor—“

There were so many things that needed to be said to so many people. They hadn’t talked to Lance lately, but she supposed that she had half expected Sara to have told him. Though, Sara was very good at keeping secrets, especially hers. She made a mental note to invite the captain over and to also fill him in on the new news. 

“I’ll explain! I promise! Just…I need help.”

“Give me your location,” Lance told her. 

Her mouth opened to respond, but a scream came out instead as a member of the League jumped onto her car from above. A sword came through the roof. Connor started to scream and cry and Felicity went into flight or fight mode. Flight right now she knew was what she had to do. Luckily, the light went green. She blurted out the cross streets and direction she was headed before turning back to Connor quickly. “You need to lay down across the seat, okay? Try to stay buckled, but lay down,” she instructed. Her eyes turned to the road and it was like arrows were flying across the road in every direction. One of her tires was punctured, but she kept pushing forward. 

“Why are they chasing us?!” Connor asked, he was hysterical.   
 She felt awful.

The thing was, right now she couldn’t dwell on the fact that she was basically traumatizing him. As she looked forward, she realized that the route that she normally took seemed unusually quiet. She had just thought that she’d missed traffic or something. At the next light, she turned left hard. If the League wanted to go after her, then they could do it fairly. In the back of all of their vehicles they had started to carry emergency kits, kits that were for emergencies such as these. Diggle and Sara had taken in each of their vehicles to have a hidden panel put into the truck that could store gear, weapons, and emergency medical supplies in case someone needed to be patched up. 

“One of my men said that you just headed in the wrong direction,” Lance’s voice spoke up.

She’d forgotten that he was still on the line, piped into the audio via her bluetooth system. He must have had her on mute this entire time so that he could coordinate things. Felicity just couldn’t help, but want to take the fight back to them. She would protect her family and she knew that she could do it herself. The best place she knew to defend was the Foundry. There she knew that she could keep Connor safe and if she was lucky, Roy and Thea would be there stocking shelves or something like that.

“I’m heading towards Verdant.”

“Why?!”

“It’s safer.”

“Felicity—“

“Connor is Oliver’s son,” Felicity blurt out. “It’s not just me that would get hurt—“

“I’m going to meet you there along with my men…you stay safe, though. You understand? Nothing stupid. Play it safe.”

“I will,” Felicity promised and this time she heard the click. 

When she neared Verdant, she realized that she hadn’t seen any sightings of assassins for some time. Maybe she’d lost them? Maybe they were just trying to scare her? Or maybe they were just trying to remind her that they could get to her. The thing was, Talia al Ghul had tried to bring the fight to her…and she’d lost. 

“You’re going to be safe, Connor, I promise,” Felicity told him.

She could keep that promise.

Felicity pulled into the almost completely deserted parking lot. She took a breath and looked back at Connor. “I’m going to get something out of the back. You stay down. I will come right back and get you, okay?” He just stared at her, unresponsive. “Okay?” He finally nodded.

God, they were going to have to get him counseling.

Getting out of the car, she was cautious, looking in every direction. She opened her trunk, trying not to turn her back for too long as she retrieved the quiver of arrows and bow from her trunk. She readied as she looked around. The sound of sirens filled her ears, but she knew that she wasn’t completely safe. The whole police force could be around her and the League could get to her if they really wanted to. 

No one came.

Eventually, the first police car pulled into the parking lot. She thought about all of the reasons why she should stow the bow and arrows, but she’d made sure that her hidden spot in her trunk was still hidden. She might not be good at coming up with believable excuses, but she was certain that Lance would help back it up…or just tell them that he’ll handle it. 

More cars arrived and eventually Lance was walking towards her and she could tell he didn’t look pleased. She was certain that she was quite a sight for his officers. They all knew who she was because not only was she married to Oliver Queen, but she was part of the team that was running Queen International. Their pictures were always in the papers and magazines. But here she was in the parking lot of Verdant with her red Mini Cooper in her light pink dress, heels, glasses, hair pulled back and armed with a bow and arrows. 

“Do you never listen to me?” Quentin asked as he approached with his arms out. “You just look like a lunatic now…”

“I’m not—“

Just then, an arrow hit the ground between them. Before taking another moment to think about it, Felicity immediately turned her gaze in the direction that the arrow had come from, aimed, and then let loose. The League archer disappeared right after she saw that she’d hit him in the arm. She looked back at Quentin and he seemed even more concerned.

“Shall I start again with my lecture?”

Felicity sighed. “I couldn’t just sit here and hope that they didn’t shoot at me any more!”

Quentin sighed and then grabbed the arrow from the ground. He seemed to examine it for a moment. “You might have shot the messenger.”

“Excuse me?”

A moment later, Lance was peeling a piece of paper from the arrow’s shaft and holding it up. “I hope you can read these funny characters…” he said as he turned it so that she could see it.

“Maybe Sara,” Felicity said. “Or Oliver.”

“Don’t you know a language?” Lance teased.

“French.”

Quentin shook his head.

“And computer code. That’s technically a language.”

He sighed more now.

She looked back at the car. How the hell was she going to explain all of this to Connor? How were they going to make him feel safe? She’d just driven like someone in one of those ‘fast’ titled movies, but safely…of course. Felicity set the bow into the trunk of her vehicle before making her way around the side and peering in through the window. He was curled up and crying. Her stomach twisted up and she just felt so horrible and guilty. “It’s okay,” she said quietly as she opened his door. 

Lance was right behind her, no doubt, he had to see this child with his own two eyes. She sat on the edge of the seat and helped him up into a sitting position. “It’s okay, really,” Felicity told Connor as she unbuckled him and wrapped her arms around him. “I’m sorry, Buddy… I am. You’re okay, though. The police are here to keep us safe.”

“Why are there ninjas here?” Connor asked. 

“I’m always asking that question,” Lance said dryly.

Felicity bit her lip and thought about how to explain things. She couldn’t. That was the problem. “They’re gone now. We’re going to go home now, okay? The police are going to take us.” She turned to look at Quentin. “You can take us, right?”

“Yeah, I’ll drive you.”

There was no doubt in her mind that he would have responded in any other way. “Okay? Get your bag. I’m going to get mine and close up the car and we’ll go.” She released him and watched him for a moment. 

“I’ll stick right here while you close up the back,” Quentin told her. 

Right.

The bow.

Felicity moved around to the trunk and stowed the bow and arrows away in the secret compartment before moving to the front to grab her purse. The car was locked and she and Connor walked with Lance towards his vehicle. Lance slipped the piece of paper into her purse and she was thankful that he was making this so easy. He could have easily wanted answers right then and there. 

“Do you like ice cream?” Lance asked Connor.

He nodded. “My mom and I used to get strawberry milkshakes.”

“Milkshakes are a better idea.”

“Really?”

Lance nodded and ruffled Connor’s short hair. “If you’re up for it? I certainly think you deserve it.”

Connor nodded, a smile on his face. 

“You’re going to have to sit in the back now,” Lance said and looked to Connor. “But when you’re older, I promise I’ll have to have you along for a ride along. You can spend the day with me.”

“Really?”

“Didn’t Felicity tell you that I’m sort of like your honorary grandfather?”

Connor shook his head, he was just waiting for every word Quentin was spilling out.

“Well, I am,” Quentin told him and made sure he got into the back of the car okay. 

Felicity was so thankful, she felt like crying. She held in the tears, though. Hormones, she swore they were making her even more emotional right now. She hugged Lance quickly and whispered into his ear. “Thank you.”

“Anything for you,” Lance told her. “Anything for one of my girls.”

Smiling at him as she took a step back, she got into the vehicle and was happy that he’d been there. The League wasn’t going to stop, she knew that. She just hoped that whatever was on the paper, that it gave a clue to as to why the League was in town and after them this time. 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…


	13. Relief and Regret

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> I'm trying to get my shorts that are on my agenda done in between the chaptered stuff, so that I'll be able to just focus on my saga length stuff (this one being one of them). You can check out my fanfic updates, as well as my agenda of upcoming stories on my tumblr.

“You’re okay? You’re sure?” 

“Completely fine,” Felicity assured. “Though, Connor might know that we’re not completely normal…though, was normal REALLY ever an option?”

“You know you’re going to have to explain that.”

“Besides me driving like a crazy person?” Felicity asked. She paused for a moment. “Though, I was driving SAFELY.”

“Oh-kay.”

“And…I might have pulled out the bow…”

“Out of the trunk?! That’s only for—“

“They were attacking us, Oliver. It doesn’t get more emergency than that!” 

She could see Oliver’s stress level rising. The bottom line was really that they were all fine. Connor had even seemed fine. Quentin had gotten him ice cream and they’d chatted like Quentin was really his grandpa. It was nice, Felicity thought, to have that family connection. Quentin was in with Connor and everyone else was on the way while the two of them talked in their bedroom. 

“I’m glad that you are all safe…but Felicity,” Oliver said and stopped himself. She could tell that he was trying to choose his words wisely. “I can’t lose any of you…”

Felicity blinked and just stared at him for a moment. “I—“ Emotions hit her like a ton of bricks. She thought about so many things, including the fact that if something HAD happened Oliver would have lost their entire family in one swoop. Tears fell down her cheeks and a lump formed in her throat. She didn’t know if it was the hormones or just the fact that the stress of everything that had happened earlier was finally hitting her.

“Are you SURE you don’t need to go to the hospital?” Oliver asked gently as he pulled her into his arms. 

Suddenly, she didn’t know.

There was a knock at the door and Felicity just didn’t know how to feel about anything, but the door popped open and she turned to see Sara popping her head in. “John’s in with Connor. Thea, Tommy, and Roy should be up in a minute.” 

Felicity motioned for her to come in and pulled away from Oliver as she wiped away tears. “Do you think I need to go to the hospital?” Sara and Diggle were the only two other people outside of her and Oliver that knew she was pregnant. Obviously, that was going to have to change. 

“You didn’t crash the car, right? It wasn’t hit?” Sara questioned.

“No, no…it’s all fine…I might have driven faster than normal and took some sharp turns…” Felicity told her. She didn’t think she needed to go to the hospital, but she felt like Sara being there and talking them through it was going to be for the best.

“Were you shot? Cut? Physical fighting?”

Felicity shook her head. “Shot AT, but not SHOT.”

“Then you’re fine…and that baby is fine…though stressing out over it isn’t going to help,” Sara told them. “And can I just say that I think we REALLY need to tell everyone about the baby?”

“I didn’t want to tell Connor just yet,” Felicity said quietly and felt a little bad about that. Keeping secrets wasn’t easy, but she didn’t want Connor to feel pushed out of the family when he was just starting to seem like he was becoming a part of it. “I don’t want his feelings to be hurt…or for him to retreat back into his shell.”

“But Tommy, Thea, and Roy SHOULD know,” Oliver spoke up.

“And my dad,” Sara brought up. “Which probably means that we should loop in Moira and Walter, too…”

Felicity sighed and fell back on the bed. “Can we leave out the part where the League is after us?” Felicity asked. She caught the worried look on Oliver’s face. “I refuse to feel like I’m kept in a prison in that house,” she told him firmly. That would be the first thing that Moira would offer and possibly insist. “I would rather that we just break it to Connor that his dad is a hero and hide out in the Foundry…for however long it takes… I mean, Roy and I already figured out how to hook up cable down there.” Sara and Oliver were looking at her oddly now, she waved her hand. “It’s a long story…it was one of the days that he was waiting for Thea and he got bored…and no one cares about the cable, right?”

“If the League REALLY wanted any of us dead, they would have already made attempts on our homes,” Sara pointed out. “Though, the mansion WOULD be safer…but at the same time, Felicity’s right AND we’d be putting more people at risk…”

“I was thinking that we should probably be stowing gear at home…and keeping extra suits, too,” Sara brought up.

“No,” Oliver said instantly.

Felicity propped herself up on her elbows and frowned at him. “Oliver…”

“I don’t want Felicity out in the field…”

“I’m not saying Felicity, but Oliver…think about it…it wouldn’t be horrible if we DID have another suit for her…one that would protect her abdominal area better, just in case…” Sara pointed out.

There had been a lot that had gone on that just had her not wanting to go out into the field unless she was needed. It was good to know that she COULD if she needed to, but the baby changed things. She really hadn’t had time to come up with a list of questions, but she found herself making a mental list of things she needed to do. “Sara’s right.”

“Normally, I don’t mind when you two gang up on me about stuff, but not THIS,” Oliver said. “I won’t risk our child…you…Connor…”

Felicity knew that this was going to be a battle with Oliver, but he meant well. He loved them and she knew why he was so protective. She drew in breath and tried to speak calmly and to think everything through before speaking. “Oliver,” Felicity said as she sat straight up and covered his hand with hers. “We have to be prepared…that’s what Sara’s talking about…about keeping our whole family safe. Biologically…Connor may be yours…and this baby,” she said slowly, the word still foreign in her mouth. “Ours…but let’s be honest. We’re all a family. This misfit family and no one is going to let anything happen to the children.”

“She’s right,” Sara spoke up. “The three of us, Tommy, Thea, Roy, John…Connor and that baby…even Moira and Walter…we’re all a family…we just don’t have the same last name,” she told them. Sara was quiet for a moment. “Though, I’ll admit to day dreaming when we were kids that I would be Sara Queen.”

There was something light in that moment that got a bright smile on Felicity face. “Oooo…we could ALL be Queen…”

“But Diggle…is…Diggle…if you change his name to John Queen…that’s just not right,” Oliver said slowly and sounded a bit too pained about that idea.

“Maybe he’s the type of guy who hyphenates,” Sara teased.

Oliver sighed and she could see the worry on his face. It didn’t matter that she and Sara were trying to relieve the tension, it still weighed on him. She lay her head on his shoulder and squeezed his hand. “Why don’t we tell Quentin now? Then we’ll tell everyone else once they get here?”

“You sure?” he asked.

“I guess we can’t really keep it a secret as long as I thought…” Felicity admitted. “Plus, SOME people…guess things,” she said as she looked over to Sara.

“Not mine or John’s fault that your siblings…and Roy…aren’t as observant.” Sara was quiet for a moment. “I was thinking that maybe with everything that’s going on…that we have no idea WHY it’s going on…maybe we should ask Nyssa for help.”

“Have you talked to her since the last time?” Felicity personally liked Nyssa, well, when she wasn’t trying to hurt or kill anyone that she cared about. Nyssa al Ghul was fierce and even though she’d been raised by Ra’s and within the League of Assassins, she had a heart. Felicity could always see that she was this wonderful person underneath all of the armor and her incredible fighting and weapon skills. 

“No.”

“She might not help us,” Oliver brought up.

“But it wouldn’t hurt to ask.”

“That’s what I was thinking,” Sara told her. “I just…I think with everything…we could use as much help as we can get.” She looked over to Oliver. “And have you checked in with ARGUS to make sure that Slade is still in that prison?”

Oliver seemed almost upset at that thought and definitely defensive, “They haven’t alerted me otherwise.” Slade Wilson was dangerous no matter if Mirakuru ran through his veins or not. He also very much had a vendetta against Oliver and Sara. None of them were safe if he was out in the world.

“Maybe I’m not the only one who should be making phone calls.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“I’m so excited for you…and Ollie, of course…” 

Felicity smiled up at Thea, they were laying on her and Oliver’s bed. Felicity’s head was against Thea’s chest as she ran her fingers through her chest while Tommy was sitting at the end of the bed. They’d told Quentin and he’d gone through a succession of confusion…being okay with it…being confused again…and then being the worried dad. He was sweet, though. Roy had thought that they were just joking when they’d broken the secrets to the others while Tommy and Thea had just been annoyed that they hadn’t been the first ones to know. “It is exciting…isn’t it?”

“I think it’s smart to keep it a secret from Connor a little longer,” Tommy spoke up.

“He’s definitely warming up,” Thea commented. “But it’s not easy to have your mother die and then have to be thrown into a world that you never knew about…especially with how many people are in our family…we have layers and tiers and secrets and…and it’s a lot to take in.”

“Melanie was asking me if I wanted kids of my own.”

Felicity and Thea immediately looked over at Tommy. It wasn’t that often that he shared things about his life with Melanie and Clarke and they didn’t push. They always tried to keep him out of Arrow business as much as possible, wanting him to be able to have the more normal life. “OH?” they asked in intrigued unison. “And?”

Tommy smiled a little. “I told her I wasn’t sure… I love Clarke, she’s great…but all I can think of is my childhood…”

“I was just thinking about how cute a Tommy offspring might be,” Felicity told him. “Does she want kids?”

“The better question here is: why are you trying to deny me more nieces and nephews to spoil until I decide I want kids of my own?” Thea asked. “Seriously…I’m not ready to be a parent…”

“You never are,” Felicity told her sister with a small smile. “But that doesn’t mean that it’s a bad thing…”

“She’s right,” Tommy said. “It’s not something you can be ready for.”

“Isn’t that why those have all those books with titles like ‘What to Expect When You’re Expecting’?” Thea asked them. 

“Yeah…let’s see if this baby follows everything that one of those books say,” Felicity told Thea. “I hope it also has a section about how to explain a new baby to a big brother-to-be that has just become part of our family.”

“I think that would be in like the niche section,” Tommy teased.

Felicity smiled. “But seriously, Tommy…you can’t think about how bad your childhood was because of Malcolm… You have to think about if YOU and Melanie WANT one… If you feel like your life is complete enough with Clarke, that’s one thing…but if you want a baby, I think it’s something you really need to think about.”

“You never DID tell us if Melanie wants another one,” Thea brought up.

“She said that she did, but then she stopped thinking about it because of all of her problems with Clarke’s dad… That she’d even thought about being inseminated and doing things on her own, just so she could have her family, but there was too much stress…so she just told herself she couldn’t do it,” Tommy explained. “I guess we’ve been doing a lot of the more serious talks and it just….it’s a lot to figure out…to take in…"

Thea gasped extremely loud all of the sudden. “Oh. My. God. DID YOU PROPOSE?! DID SHE SAY YES?!” They were both waiting for Tommy’s response, but he looked rather scared. Felicity already knew the answer and was waiting to see how Tommy was going to handle not telling Thea when she’d found out. 

“Yes…and yes…” Tommy said quietly and slowly.

Thea opened her mouth, but then frowned and looked between them. “Felicity already knew, didn’t she?”

Felicity looked to Tommy, not wanting to confirm Thea’s suspicions. Plus, that was on him. It was on her for waiting to tell them about the baby…but this…this was on Tommy. Felicity was never one to gossip, plus she’d had her own stuff to deal with…Tommy’s celebrating of his good news was up to him. 

“I—I—“ Tommy sputtered for a moment. “I just…going to see if Moira would host another dinner, so I could tell everyone,” he said quickly. “I only told Felicity because she looked so sad that day…” 

“She looked sad?” Thea questioned.

“You DO remember that she’s been keeping the baby secret from us…”

“Hey! Hey! Don’t do that!” Felicity told Tommy and then leaned forward and smacked her brother. “Why are you trying to turn all the conflict onto me?”

“Geez, Tommy! She’s in a delicate state,” Thea said. 

Tommy just looked between the two of them. “Why do I always feel like you two are ganging up on me?”

“You have Oliver.”

Felicity looked from Thea and then to Tommy, her finger pointing at him. “You are correct.” 

“Remember when we had game night?”

“That was EVERY night…for a long time,” Thea reminded. “And we were imprisoned…”

“But I do miss it,” Felicity added a moment later as she tilted her head to the side and looked between her siblings. “We’ve made ourselves too busy… We should ALL have family game night…slash dinner…”

“Does that mean Melanie and Clarke are invited?” Tommy questioned.

Felicity nodded, even though she wasn’t thrilled with that idea. She just hated the fact that that would be another time that she couldn’t be herself. Another time where she, Tommy, and Thea couldn’t be siblings in public. She looked down at the comforter on her bed and ran her finger along the stitching. “Of course, they’re family, too, right?” Felicity asked quietly. “And Clarke and Connor will hopefully be good together…”

“Felicity?”

“Hmm?” she asked as she looked up at Tommy. He looked concerned and she had a feeling that she hadn’t disguised her feelings very well. Felicity couldn’t help it, she honestly felt like she was gaining this family and that they’d found a way to BE a family and now it was being taken away from her. 

“Tell me the truth, especially you two,” Tommy practically pleaded. “Do you like Melanie and Clarke?” He frowned and seemed lost for a moment. “I love them. I can’t think of my life without them anymore. I don’t want you two to hate them.”

“We don’t hate them, Tommy,” Thea said quietly and slowly.

Felicity had a feeling that even though she and Thea hadn’t discussed it, they both felt the same way about how things were unfolding. She pushed away tears. She definitely had to be able to blame the emotions on hormones. Felicity sucked in breath and shook her head to clear it before looking down at the button bracelet on her wrist, she went through, counting them in her head before finally speaking. “It’s not that we hate them…and if I’m saying something you don’t agree with, Thea, please correct me,” Felicity said with a sad smile as she looked back at Thea. She pulled in another long breath before looking to Tommy. “It’s not that. They’re great. Melanie is great. Clarke is great. The three of you together is just such a beautiful thing… They make you unbelievably happy…and I think, if you two want more, that you should have kids together…”

Felicity went quiet and Tommy obviously felt the need to prompt her to continue. “But?”

“But it feels like if you’re with them…that keeps you from us…from our world…from our family…because of the secrets we keep,” Felicity tried to explain as delicately and as clearly as possible. “It’s not just Team Arrow stuff, Tommy…it’s US. It’s Thea and I being your half sisters… We’ve worked so carefully to keep that out of the public—“

“We could tell Melanie…she’d understand.”

“What about Clarke?” Thea questioned.

“She’s six.”

“It’s not US it could ruin that I’m worried about,” Felicity admitted. “It’s how it could affect you. The companies are already merged together, so that’s not something to really worry about…”

“I really don’t care,” Tommy told them. “You two are important to me.”

“You and I got to grow up together,” Thea said gently. “Even if it wasn’t as siblings…you and I definitely grew up in a sibling-type manner…” She was quiet for a moment. “But Felicity, she’s JUST become part of our family…she’s not had us growing up…”

“You’re right,” Tommy said quietly. “Look, I don’t know how to figure out how to make this all work. All I know is that I am not going to just put off the fact that the three of us are family.” He sighed and ran his hand over his face. “I think Melanie’s trustworthy…I mean, we don't have to tell Clarke…we can just explain to her that we’re all really good friends IF she were to ask, which I don’t see her doing… I just…I don’t want us to distance what we have…”

“You’re not getting rid of us,” Thea told him as she crawled across the bed and launched herself at Tommy, attack hugging him. “Not even IF you tried…”

Thea held open her arm to Felicity and she scooted into the hug, both Thea and Tommy wrapping arms around her. “If you think that Melanie’s trustworthy…with knowing about Thea and I…then tell her…” She pulled back and even though her nerves were making her stomach twist, she knew that that it would be a huge step back for Tommy but she felt like she needed to say it. “Arrow stuff is another issue, but I think that’s something we ALL have to talk about…” She sighed and tilted her head slightly. “You ARE the one of us that has any chance of leading a normal life…” 

“She’s right,” Thea reminded him. 

Tommy looked conflicted suddenly. “I’ve thought about that, too. I was hoping that we could talk about that tonight. All I keep thinking is that my family could be targeted and it just seems like it would be better if Melanie KNEW why and maybe she could use some kind of training or something…not with like a bow or a staff or anything…”

“You mean like self defense?”

“That and what to keep an eye out for. If someone’s following you, that kind of thing.”

“It’s not a bad idea,” Felicity spoke up. “And she’s going to have to get used to being Mrs. Merlyn…which might mean a security detail…even if it’s one guard.”

“Maybe Roy could use a day job,” Thea said with a smile. “I’m sure he’s good with kids.”

“Let’s be honest, Oliver and I don’t need Sara AND Diggle with us at all times…” Felicity pointed out. 

“I think Oliver would disagree with that,” Tommy brought up. “But like with you…most times during the day, I wouldn’t worry about Melanie or Clarke’s safety… I just—“

“It’s definitely something for us to talk about,” she said as she reached out and squeezed Tommy’s hand. All Felicity really wanted was for Tommy to be happy, even if that meant that he moved far away from them. It would be hurt, but if that meant he was going to be happy…then it was worth it. 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“I know you really want to send him to that private school—“

“It’s the better school,” Oliver argued. “I’m surprised you don’t WANT it for him.”  Connor was fast asleep in his bed, Felicity had checked several times to make sure that he was definitely sleeping. The topic of conversation for the evening was something that she didn’t want him to overhear and then get upset about. Mainly because she didn’t want him to know their stances on things and hold anything against either of them, mainly Oliver. It was a difficult decision to make and they were both arguing their sides for specific reasons and they were both looking out for Connor and what was best for him.

“Connor WANTS to go to public school, Oliver,” Felicity reminded gently. “We can always supplement academics, arts, and sports. Pretty much any activity that’s out there, if they don’t offer it at the local school, we can find a way for Connor to have access to it.”

“The security is so much better at the private school.”

Felicity knew that this wasn’t going to be an easy conversation. It was so much harder because it wasn’t like they this would be the first year that Connor would be attending school. It was actually only made harder because he would be starting a new school midyear. There was just a lot to consider and she knew that right now…for all of them…all Oliver was thinking about was security. 

“Can you please just think of this from Connor’s point of view…think about everything that he doesn’t understand…and what he’s used to,” Felicity pleaded quietly. “We can figure out a way to up the security system at a public school…” They ran Queen International…she was certain she could put a spin on this, for it to benefit both Connor AND the company. “Maybe the company could put in a donation to the school. New computers or tablets or whatever it is that they use now in classrooms…and then added security measures. If they had cameras, then I could easily hack them…” 

“That would take TIME.”

Felicity shrugged. “Maybe we just need to give him a phone. One that I can hack. One that we can remotely activate to listen in.”

“Wow…” Oliver breathed and then the biggest smile spread across his face. “I’m glad that you’re on my team… I feel like your skills are really going to come in handy when our kids are teenagers…”

Felicity beamed. She was glad that he liked that. “I mean, our other alternatives are homeschooling or online school…which both would require us to have things like sports and art class and socializing groups to then commit attending…”

“That’s a lot to balance.”

“That’s why I was saying public school…I think we could make it work, Oliver,” Felicity told him. “Even if we hold off on school until the new school year begins in the fall…maybe he could do online schooling or packets or something for the time being.”

“Is it something we have to decide tonight?” he asked with a sigh. 

This was all a lot to take in. She knew that it wasn’t just Connor and school that was weighing on his mind, it was everything else that they’d discussed. Today was a lot for everyone to deal with. They all honestly needed to process. It was really a lot to take in. 

“No, it doesn’t need to be decided tonight, but don’t be surprised if he asks at breakfast,” Felicity warned. “He’d probably be all excited to tell his new friends that assassin ninjas were after us and that his honorary grandfather is the police captain AND takes him out for ice cream.”

Oliver frowned. “Why do I feel like Quentin is getting more father figure points than I already have?”

Felicity shrugged. “Though, to be fair…he’s been a father longer…”

His face screwed up suddenly. “And he’s seen you with the bow and arrow! He’s going to—“

Before it could go any further, she pressed her lips to his, stopping him. They really didn’t need to get into all of that. Likely, if Connor DID think that she was a cool stepmom he’d get over it the moment that he found out that she was pregnant. Of course, he’d probably think that Oliver was the best dad ever if he knew their secret, that Oliver was the Arrow. “Let’s go crawl into bed…” Felicity suggested.

There was no arguing from Oliver, but as she shut the bedroom door, she realized that there was one more thing she wanted to bring up. They’d talked about it at their team meeting earlier, but she felt like she needed to touch on it again. “About Nyssa…”

Oliver let out a rather loud sigh. 

“I know that you're not her biggest fan—“

“I don’t think she’s John’s biggest fan.”

“That’s fair,” Felicity admitted. “But she’s an ally, Oliver.”

“How sure can we be?”

“You trust Sara, right?”

He made a grumbling sound as he stripped out of his clothes. “This isn’t about Sara.”

“Well, for what it’s worth…I,” Felicity said, putting emphasis on ‘I’. “I trust Sara AND Nyssa.”

“We have no idea what the League wants.”

“And how else do you suggest we find out?”

“We can’t exactly bring my dad back to life and then ask him to liaise with the League,” Felicity said and then suddenly felt sad about that thought. She turned her back, trying to hide the tears. There had been so many tears lately. Sara kept reminding her that it was just because of the hormones, it was like there was a thin layer of ice between keeping it cool and losing it. She felt like the losing it side was definitely winning. Setting her dress aside, she just felt sick and wanted to just get into bed and curl up. She discarded her bra and then grabbed her MIT shirt to pull on. She just wanted something comfortable, she wasn’t worried about being sexy. Felicity took out her earrings and just left them on her nightstand along with her hair band and glasses before turning back the covers on her side and sliding in. 

“You okay?”

She was laying on her side with her back to him, running her fingers through the buttons on her bracelet. Sometimes it still shocked her at how much she missed him. There were times where Felicity woke up screaming or just trying to catch her breath because she sometimes still had nightmares because of him or she’d be in the shower and suddenly start to panic because she was worrying if Oliver was close. There were so many things Merlyn had done to her that had messed her up, but she couldn’t stop loving him for everything that he’d done right…especially not for sacrificing himself for Thea (for all of them). 

“Yeah,” she whispered.

“It’s okay to miss him.”

“It’s weird…”

“I know.”

“And I was thinking…about my mom…”

Silence.

Felicity rubbed one of the buttons and sighed. “I lost Malcolm, Oliver…even though things haven’t ever been great between me and my mom…I don’t want to lose her…and I was thinking that maybe I need to be the bigger person and reach out to her…try to see if we can reconnect and if not…then at least I tried.”

He didn’t answer right away. He was quiet as he ran his hand up and down her arm in a comforting gesture. “I think it’s a good idea.”

“I know that when everyone thought I was dead…that you and Walter reached out to her—“

“Grief does weird things to us, Felicity,” Oliver said. “Everyone responds differently.”

“I know.”

“You’ve never really said anything much about your family…”

Felicity let out a small laugh. “Because it’s obviously dysfunctional…and not happy,” she told him and found herself being turned towards him. Oliver lay down and pulled her into his strong arms. 

“You have happy childhood memories,” Oliver whispered as she took in his scent, her face tucked up against his bare chest. “Being a princess…”

“But nothing after that,” Felicity told him. “That was pretty much it.”

“Your mother loves you, Felicity,” Oliver told her as he held her in bed. “How could she not?”

“We’re not exactly…similar…”

“Am I similar to my mother?”

Felicity smiled slightly. “Can we not have THAT discussion? I’m not sure you or I would like the real answer to that question.”

“You’re scaring me,” he teased. 

She let out a laugh and held onto him tighter. “I just…I want to reach out to her, but at the same time…I’m scared…” Felicity shrugged against him. “What if she doesn’t want to have anything to do with me? What if she comes here and is horrible?”

“When was the last time you saw her?”

“Before I left for MIT.”

“That was a long time ago, Felicity,” he reminded. “People change…and IF she hasn’t, if for some bizarre reason she doesn’t love the beautiful, intelligent, loving person you are…then she doesn’t deserve to be in your life…or ours…”

Felicity looked up at him, sometimes Oliver said stupid things or just didn’t get things…and then other times…he did that. “Thank you,” she whispered before kissing him. “For being so wonderful…”

“I love you. Nothing is going to ever change that.”

“Wait until you meet my mother.”

Oliver laughed. 

“Wait until I’m the size of a dirigible.”

“What?”

“Huge.”

“You know, you’re never going to be huge…and even IF you were…I’d love you still.”

She poked his chest with a smile and then kissed him again. “You’d better…” Felicity whispered against his lips, “I love you,” before she kissed him again.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

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	14. The State of Things Moving Forward

**Queen International**  
  
  
Felicity waited until Sara got off the phone to confirm what she was already certain had happened.  She was leaning back in her chair, dressed in a form fitting purple dress.  Ever since she’d found out she was pregnant, she’d become more self conscious about how clothes fit.  She swore that things fit differently and felt tighter, which she knew seemed silly since she’d actually lost a couple of pounds.  When Sara pulled the phone away from her ear quickly, Felicity frowned.  “She didn’t pick up?”    
  
“Nanda Parbat isn’t exactly known for it’s cell service,” Sara told her.  Like Felicity, Sara was dressed for work, only her work attire tended to be a bit more casual.  She was wearing black slacks and a floral blouse, her blazer had been discarded and hung over the back of one of the chairs in her office.  “Nyssa will call back, though.”  
  
“E-mail?” Felicity half seriously suggested.  
  
Sara just smiled in response as she crossed Felicity’s office back to where she was sitting at her desk.  She took the seat across from Felicity and leaned back in the chair.  “It won’t take her more than a day.”  
  
“I know that Oliver doesn’t think it’s a good idea, but it’s a good idea.”  
  
“Oliver doesn’t always know what’s right.”  
  
“It’s Oliver…”  
  
Sara let out a light laugh.  “It probably doesn’t help that Nyssa sort of lives in this grey area as far as alliances go.  She’s part of the League of Assassins, daughter of Ra’s al Ghul, but she does…and always will love me…”  She shrugged.  “Sometimes I wonder if it’s wrong of me to use that relationship, but we agreed to be friends…no matter what.”  
  
“Ra’s can’t be happy that Merlyn killed Talia,” Felicity reminded.  “She WAS Nyssa’s sister.”  
  
“They were never close.”  
  
“She’s still her sister.”  
  
There was a beat of silence and Sara tilted her head to the side slightly.  “True.”  
  
Things were certainly complicated, but they needed all the help that they could get.  If Oliver got angry, then she’d take responsibility for the choices she was making.  Sometimes, though, Oliver was blinded by what had happened to him in the past and couldn’t see things that made sense.  This made sense.  To call Nyssa and to seek her help.  The League of Assassins was after them.  It wasn’t just Oliver or the Arrow that they were after, but rather…her and now Connor.  Their family was in danger and Felicity would do whatever it took to keep her family safe.  
  
“And Ra’s did favor her…” Sara added a moment later.    
  
It had been brought up before, which she was certain only fueled things on Ra’s’ end of things.  Felicity just knew that they had to band together and do whatever they could to keep their family safe.  That family wasn’t just her, Oliver, Connor, and the baby that would be coming in the months ahead…it was Sara, Diggle, Captain Lance, Moira, Walter, Thea, Roy, Tommy…and even Melanie and Clarke.  There were so many to protect…and there was the city too.  It hadn’t been lost on her that Ra’s could simply take out his aggression on the city itself.    
  
They spent a while just sitting in her office, really not doing anything except taking in the silence and mulling over what could be coming.  Felicity hated it.  She hated not knowing.  It was Tommy’s knock on the door that broke the silence.  She nearly jumped out of her chair and she could tell by the look on his face that he hadn’t meant to sneak up on them.  They weren’t normally so easily snuck up on, but being so high up in the building and having Sara in between her and the door made things relaxed enough…that it felt safe.    
  
Her brother was standing in the doorway, leaning against it, dressed in his full navy blue suit.  He was wearing a emerald tie and was looking concerned.  She’d noticed that Tommy tended to wear blue more than any other color, maybe because he’d never wanted to be CEO.  Tommy had never wanted to run a company, this had fallen into his lap…forced upon him…and the only reason he’d continued it was because they were all in it together and that made it easier.  He was learning, they all were.  It was just going to take time.  “You two look serious,” Tommy commented.  
  
“We’re just—uh,” Sara tried to cover as she shuffled through papers they hadn’t even looked at.  
  
“One of those days, huh?”  
  
Felicity smiled.  “Just a lot going on.”  
  
“Are we talking company matters or…other matters?”   
  
“Other matters…though I haven’t really tackled anything I should have already gotten through this morning,” Felicity admitted.  It wasn’t like her to be behind on work.  “So, there could be a company matter that’s going to come up…but not until later…so, at least there’s that…”  
  
Tommy nodded.  “You know, I wish I could help you with this…security…issue…but I really don’t think I can…”  
  
“Not exactly your forte,” Sara told him.  “But it’s adorable that you want to help…”  
  
“I was just trying to think if we’re doing enough, if maybe we should be doubling up company security…for after hours for people…or if we should involve Captain Lance.”  
  
“You’re worried about Melanie and Clarke.”  
  
“Among others,” Tommy admitted.  “Thea and Felicity.”  
  
“I can take care of myself,” Felicity reminded.  “Though, Sara IS pretty much my shadow…so between the two of us…”  
  
That was still something that was still fairly a new reinstated thing.  Oliver worried too much.  At the same time, she understood his worry and concern.  So much had happened…and they were really all trying to keep up and keep things as calm and sane as possible.  That wasn’t always an easy thing.    
  
“I asked Sara to call Nyssa,” Felicity told her brother.  She had a feeling that Tommy wouldn’t be as against it as Oliver had been.  She still was positive that once she explained it to him and he’d had this time to calm down…that he’d come around.  “We’re waiting for her to call us back.”  “Isn’t she PART of the League of Assassins?” Tommy asked.  “I thought that that’s who’s coming after us?”  He was quiet for a long moment.  “Wait…  Do they have company League of Assassins phones?”  Felicity smirked for a moment.  “We need all the help we can get.”  
  
“Can we trust them?”  
  
“We can trust Nyssa,” Sara told him.    
  
“We can,” Felicity insisted.  
  
“And Nyssa would likely know Ra’s’ plans here…possibly even who is being targeted.”  
  
“I’d be interested in hearing about that,” Tommy said.  “Let me know what you find out.”    
  
Felicity nodded.  “Of course."  They were all worried, but she sort of felt like Tommy was even more concerned because he wasn’t actively part of the team.  He’d trained and he was getting better, but they were all really trying to keep him out of that life.  To keep him and Melanie and Clarke safe.  He’d known about Oliver being the Hood before his death…and then he’d sort of been pulling into Team Arrow because of Malcolm and because of her…she just didn’t want it to keep him from living the life he deserved and wanted.    
  
“Should I worry?” he asked as he stood at the doorframe.    
  
“We got this,” Sara said confidently.    
  
She waited until Tommy left before looking over at Sara.  “Do we?”  
  
Sara shrugged.  “We’ll see.”  
  
“I really wish I could have real coffee,” Felicity muttered as she pinched the bridge of her nose and closed her eyes.  She knew that they could do this.  They were a team.  They were bigger than they originally had been.  There wasn’t just three of them anymore…and for better or worse…they were pretty good together…  They’d proven that they could do anything, if only they worked together.    
  
“You want me to get you some of the fake stuff?  Or have the assistant go get some?” Sara asked.  “I’ll give them instructions to dress it up so much that you won’t even realize that it’s decaf.”  
  
Felicity made a face.  “I don’t think that’s possible…I need the caffeine.”  
  
“It’ll have the sugar equivalent,” Sara said with a shrug.  
  
Smiling, she shook her head.    
  
“I’m just saying…I could make it happen…”  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
 **Later That Day…**  
 **Queen International**  
  
  
Sara had ordered the assistant to go out and get specified coffee and though it was filled with chocolate and caramel syrups and Felicity didn’t know what else, it had boosted her through the morning.  She’d just told herself that there would be far more salad eating for the rest of the day.    Lots of dark green and veggies.  In fact, Sara had left her in order to go on a food run for them and Tommy.    
  
“Mrs. Queen?  Mr. Queen is here,” the assistant via speakerphone informed her.  
  
She touched the button on it as she looked towards the glass wall to see Oliver and Connor walking in.  Oliver was wearing a suit, she really loved him in a suit.  Okay, so Oliver looked good in everything and nothing, but there was just a different kind of sexy when he was dressed like that.  She was really becoming accustom to seeing him dressed like that again.  Connor, however, was wearing blue jeans and a brightly colored t-shirt with a generic superhero on it.  “Thank you,” she said quickly before getting up from her chair.  She wondered how Oliver would feel about Sara not being right there, but she really didn’t think the League was going to attack her during the day on that floor.  Felicity was fairly sure if she just kept to her office and the bathroom while Sara was gone that she would be just fine.    
  
Felicity met them part way and smiled brightly.  “I hadn’t expected a visit from you guys,” she said and pulled Connor in for a half hug.  She held him for a moment before moving to Oliver, taking his hand and kissing him.    
  
“Connor really wanted to come and see you, so we figured we’d stop by,” Oliver explained and they headed back into her office.  “Plus, I figured that I could take an hour to do some work.”  
  
That would explain why Connor was wearing a backpack.  Though, it seemed like pretty much anywhere they went anymore, he’d be carrying a backpack full of things to keep him occupied.  It was far better than him getting bored, though.  Sometimes work got the best of them, especially given that she and Oliver kept getting behind in Queen International business and it just wasn’t fair to weigh Tommy down with it all.  
  
“We went to look at schools,” Connor announced.  
  
Felicity closed the office door, which always seemed sort of silly to her.  It didn’t really afford them much privacy, but it was a little more.  They hadn’t gone public with the fact that Connor was Oliver’s son and was living with them.  She knew that there was gossip going around the company and on social media.  She’d set up a program to take down Connor’s picture whenever it was posted online using facial recognition.  Just until they were ready to go fully public, which meant prepping Connor.  There really couldn’t be any denying the similarities between Oliver and Connor, so it wasn’t like they could deny it (not that they ever would).    
  
Moving back over to Connor, she put her arm around him and guided him towards the couches.  “How was it?  Find one that you liked?”  
  
“Actually…” Oliver started and then didn’t finish his thought.  
  
Suspicious, Felicity looked back over at him before sitting on the couch with Connor.  Oliver sat down with them a moment later.  “Actually?”  
  
“I found my new school!” Connor enthused.  His eyes were bright and happy.  It was like a kid on Christmas morning.  “They say I can’t start until you fill out the papers.  You can fill out the papers, right?”    
  
“Of course we can, Buddy…”  Felicity was waiting for Oliver to argue or explain his ‘actually’.  They’d gone to see public schools today and Oliver had been the one who had been completely against it because of the security and he’d used some of their available academic areas against the public ones.    
  
“They said my mom and dad had to fill them out.”  
  
“They meant me and Felicity, Connor,” Oliver said gently.  “Don’t worry.  We have them in your backpack…  We can start filling them out right now.”  
  
“Really?!” Connor practically screeched.    
  
Felicity’s eyebrows raised and she just stared at Oliver.  “Really?” she asked softly, a small smile gracing her lips.  “And do I get to know which school has been finally chosen?”  
  
“Starling Metro Elementary,” he supplied before Oliver could.  He started to bounce a bit.  “I have to wear a uniform, but that’s okay…you know why?  They have the BEST colors…”  
  
“The best colors you say?”  
  
“Blue, but like dark blue,” Connor told her as he pulled the folder from his backpack with the school’s logo on the front of it.  It was a navy blue folder with white lettering on it.  He opened it and pulled out the uniform paper.  “Which is a good color.  There’s also this color that they said is a different word for this red color, which is like the same color as The Flash.”  Connor was suddenly looking at her with big eyes.  “Do you know about The Flash?”  
  
The Flash.  
  
Barry Allen.  
  
She knew Barry Allen very well.  
  
She knew Team Flash very well.  
  
But his question caught him off guard.  “Um, yes I know The Flash…I mean, I know OF The Flash,” she corrected quickly.  She was tripping over her words and shut her mouth quickly before she found herself revealing things that they really weren’t ready for Connor to know.    
  
“The school’s official color names are navy, burgundy, and forest…apparently forest green is completely different than KELLY forest green,” Oliver said.  He was obviously saving her.  “The receptionist tried to make that extremely clear…  I don’t know why they can’t just call it dark green.”  
  
“AND!” Connor said.  “Green!  It’s the color of the Arrow.  Right?  There’s the Arrow here in Starling City…”  
  
“I’ve…heard…of him…if it IS a HIM…” Felicity rambled.  She caught the look Oliver gave her, but what was she supposed to do?  She was just thankful that Connor wasn’t a teenager where he might find out later that her name had come up in connection with the Arrow.  After all, he’d saved her (though she’d saved him right back, but that wasn’t in the papers).    
  
“It’s definitely not a girl,” Connor said seriously.  “He should have an action figure.  They BOTH should.”  
  
“They should,” Oliver agreed with a smirk.  
  
“Girls can be heroes, too,” Felicity argued.  At that moment, she sort of wished that they COULD tell Connor about their secret lives as vigilantes…though, really, heroes was such a better term for what they did.  
  
“Nu uh…” Connor argued.  
  
“They’re the best kind,” Oliver told Connor, his eyes on her the whole time.  Felicity smiled and even blushed a bit before looking the other way.  “Where’s Sara?” he asked.  Luckily, he only sounded curious, not in his freaked out and over protective tone.    
  
“Getting lunch,” Felicity told him, trying to keep her tone light and casual.  She caught his glance, though.  He wasn’t exactly pleased, but he wasn’t exactly upset either.  “Where’s Diggle?”  
  
“He’s running…errands.”  
  
“We ate lunch already,” Connor told her.  
  
“Good, since I think we’re all having salads…and I know salad isn’t exactly your favorite,” Felicity explained.  He made a face and she knew that it really was a good thing he and Oliver had already gotten something.  “Also…Oliver…Darling…”  Her use of ‘darling’ had definitely caught his attention.  “I asked Sara to call Nyssa…just to check in…but she hasn’t called back yet.”  
  
His response, though, confused and surprised her.  “Good,” he simply replied in a pleasant tone.    “I’d like to know what we’re facing.”  
  
“You’re not…agitated?” she questioned, choosing her words carefully with Connor right there.    
  
“No, actually…I was going to talk to Sara about it today,” Oliver admitted.  “I really thought about it…and you were right.”  
  
Felicity was instantly beaming.  “I love when you say that.”  
  
“I know you do,” he replied with a brighter smile.  
  
There was a knock at her door and they found Tommy standing there and opening the door before they could say anything.  This was a normal thing.  The only reason the door was closed was so their assistant outside of the offices didn’t eavesdrop when they had Connor there or when they were talking Arrow business.  “Just was seeing if Sara was back yet, but then I saw Oliver’s here…and I was hoping I could get him to come look at some business document in my office?”  
  
“Sure, just a sec,” Oliver replied.  
  
“Nothing I need to sign?” Felicity asked.    
  
“You already signed,” Tommy explained.  This wasn’t surprising.  She’d signed a lot of documents after she’d had her coffee earlier.  It was one of those times where she understood why people got those signature stamps.  “Though, while you’re both here…I was wondering what you thought about us all having a family dinner…at the mansion?”    
  
Things weren’t as tense as they once were with Moira, but Felicity tended to avoid making excuses for family dinner at Queen Mansion.  It was something that she knew that they couldn’t avoid, though.  Moira had been pushing to see Connor and they’d been certainly putting it off.  “You know what, maybe that’s a good idea,” she responded before Oliver could say anything.  Felicity looked to Connor between them, who was really the one who it would all depend on.  “What do you think?  Ready to meet a couple more people?”  
  
“I was thinking that I could invite Melanie and Clarke, too…that way Connor will have someone his own age to play with,” Tommy spoke up before Connor could say anything.  
  
“How old is he?”  
  
“SHE is six.”  
  
Connor wrinkled his nose.  “A girl can’t be that fun…”  
  
Felicity sighed and shook her head.  “Walter.  We’re inviting Walter, right?”  
  
“I thought that’s pretty much a necessary thing when we have family dinner there?” Tommy questioned with a smile.  
  
“It really is.”  
  
“So, we’re a go?”  
  
Oliver spoke up now.  “Sounds like it.”  
  
“Great,” Tommy said with a smile.  “I’ll talk to Moira then and arrange things.  I’ll forward you the details once we set the date.”  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
 **Foundry**  
  
  
 It was weird being back there, but it was nice at the same time.  Ever since Connor had been brought into their lives, she and Oliver had spent a lot less time there.  She really wasn’t sure if that was a good or bad thing.  Did it have to be?  It just was.  She was only going to be there for another hour before heading home.    
  
Thea and Roy had volunteered to watch Connor for a couple of hours.  It was a new thing and they were both nervous about it.  Luckily, it was easy to check in.  Connor had been fine, though.  He’d been playing superheroes with Roy and Thea had apparently convinced him to sit down and color with her at one point.    
  
“The League hasn’t been seen in two days now,” Diggle said over comms.  
  
“I’m just putting this out there,” Felicity spoke up.  “I’m not complaining.”  
  
Oliver and Diggle were out patrolling.  Sara would be coming in before she had to leave, so that Diggle could have back up and Oliver wouldn’t end up patrolling all night or at the Foundry.  They’d been trying not to burn the candle at both ends.  It was a hard balance, especially with the company…Connor…and their relationship.  Since she was so tired because of pregnancy, though, she wasn’t staying long and would be home before Oliver was.  She hated to go to bed without him there beside her, but it was no use trying to stay up…she always ended up passing out.  
  
“It doesn’t mean anything,” Oliver added.  “We need to keep on high alert, just the same.”  
  
“Maybe they left,” Diggle proposed.  
  
“It’s never that easy when it comes to the League…”  
  
He was right.  
  
It wasn’t.  
  
  
*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*  
  
  
TBC…  
  
  



	15. Opening Up

“I think it’s less work to adopt a child than to send them to school,” Oliver commented as he stared at the mess of papers that Felicity had populated the dinner table with. 

She’d already been filling papers out and shook her head as she filled in emergency contacts. “I think we need to ask them if we can add a couple more names to this list,” Felicity said. “I put Digg and Sara, but I feel like Roy and Thea should be on here too…and Tommy.”

“You’re right,” Oliver agreed.

“How about your mother?”

“We could put Walter?”

That brought a smile to her face. She dropped her pen and leaned towards him, elbows on the table and her chin resting in her hands. This was definitely a good time to take a break. They’d been trying to still catch up on things and she’d been so exhausted that it hadn’t seemed like they’d really had time to just sit and stare at each other or talk. 

“How are you feeling?” he asked. “Is it a forbidden topic?”

She was fairly sure that Sara had given him some kind of lecture about not asking her a million times how she felt, especially since they hadn’t told everyone yet. “I’m just more tired than usual…and missing regular coffee.”

“Why don’t we eat out tonight? Make things a little easier?”

“We have to get through the rest of the day first,” she reminded. Normally, they would be at Queen International no later than nine in the morning, but they’d talked to Tommy and they’d be doing a half day today which would begin with lunch out with her brother. They had a lot of paperwork for school to get through along with shopping that she hadn’t told Oliver about yet. “But I’m not going to put down that plan… Who’s out tonight?”

It made it sound like bowling or something, but Team Arrow was just another secret that they all had to keep. “Tommy is going to run things from the Foundry and then Roy is going to go out with me.”

Felicity tapped the pen against the table as she took that in. It was still hard to remember that she couldn’t be out there with him, at least not right now. It wasn’t just Tommy that they had to think about, but Felicity and the fact that she was carrying their child. She didn’t want to risk it and she’d already been trying to keep herself in the Foundry before she even found out. She’d never really WANTED to get out there in the field with the team, unless they needed her, but when Merlyn had taken them…learning the bow had become a necessity. The rest, it had just fallen in place…because it was necessary as well. 

“You okay with that?”

Her head tilted and she pushed her glasses back on the bridge of her nose. “Yeah,” she answered quietly. “It’s just…”

“Tommy isn’t doing anything tonight, or else I’d ask you to run things from home, but we both figured that you could use a break. Thea said that she’d come over and hang out with you,” Oliver explained. “I know we didn’t discuss it before—“

“No, no…it’s fine,” she said with a smile. It wasn’t really like it was a decision. Team Arrow was something that they’d been working on keeping as separate from home as they possibly could. That wasn’t exactly something they could realistically do, but the team was trying to make things easier on her because they knew that she was getting hit by serious first trimester fatigue. Her doctor said that it would likely ease as she reached her second trimester, but right now…it didn’t seem like it was ever going to let up. “And you know that having Thea over would be great.”

“I just figured we’d go out for dinner and Thea could bring entertainment and ice cream.”

“Thea IS entertainment,” Felicity teased. 

Oliver laughed in response. “That’s true.”

It hadn’t been weird that Thea was both their half sister, it just seemed like there was just more time to enjoy her company between the two of them. Felicity had missed so much of Thea’s life and though it felt like in some ways they’d caught up on that island, there were just some things that would come with time. She was so thankful for their family. “You know, I’ve been thinking about my mom.”

“I know.”

“I was thinking about asking her to come to Starling City…send her a plane ticket…have accommodations set up for her.”

“Of course.”

“Do you think it’s too much?” Felicity asked.

“How long has it been since you’ve seen her?”

Years.

“Too long,” she found herself saying without really thinking about it. It was the truth, though. “I know that she didn’t really seem to care when Walter and Moira had put together that funeral service for Thea and I, but—“

“Hey, I’m not judging…”

“I just keep thinking about her.”

“Maybe she’s changed.”

“Maybe.”

“You’re going to have everyone behind you, Felicity, so you figure out when you want her to come out and contact her,” Oliver said.

“Oliver! Felicity! Can I go to school today?” Connor asked as he came running out of his room. He was completely dressed in his school uniform. He had on navy blue pants, a long sleeved button-up white shirt, a forest green sweater vest, the school’s proper plaid tie on (a plaid of forest, burgundy, and navy), and dress black shoes on. “Did my backpack come?”

Felicity looked from Connor and then immediately to Oliver, who’s mouth was hanging open. She reached out and pushed it closed. “You can order all of the clothes online…and the backpack,” she said as she turned back to Connor. “Should be ready to be picked up today. It was special order and I had it embroidered since most of the other kids seemed to have their names or initials on it.”

“What did you put on it?” Connor questioned. 

“He looks like Barry!” Oliver finally spat out as he motioned to Connor.

“It says Connor,” Felicity told him and then turned to her husband. “Why do you act like that’s a bad thing?”

“It’s not,” Oliver said and then just seemed to be trying to take it all in. “I’m just…surprised.” It took a minute and then Oliver looked over to Connor again. “What name DID you think was going to be on your bag?”

The dirty blonde haired boy shrugged. “I didn’t know if you changed my name…because you’re my father…and stuff…and your last name is different than mine.”

Oh.

Felicity looked between Connor and Oliver. Sure, she’d thought about it, but they hadn’t said anything or really had a discussion about it because it was all happening so fast. They didn’t want to make things harder on Connor and Felicity was fairly sure that she and Oliver were on the same page with the idea of letting it be CONNOR’S choice. 

“We can have different last names,” Oliver finally spoke up gently. “But if you wanted to change it…we could do it later…”

“I don’t know,” Connor admitted.

“Most of the kids at school have their first name on their backpack and maybe their last initial,” Felicity explained. “I don’t think anyone’s going to even worry about your last name right now…but Oliver’s right…we can always do it later if it’s something that YOU want.”

“Okay.”

Silence.

“So, why are you all dressed up today?” Oliver asked. “I thought you couldn’t go yet?”

“I thought I could?” Connor questioned and looked extremely sad. 

This was where she came in. “Not for at least another week,” Felicity told him. She held up some of the papers. “I’m filling out papers now, but you have to be seen by a doctor here. It doesn’t look like you’ve been to the doctor in over a year.”

“I don’t get sick.”

“Well, that’s…awesome, but you still have to see the doctor. Just have him check and make sure you’re okay and have the doctor sign the paper for the school,” Felicity said. “And then once the school gets the papers, then they’ll process it and figure out what class you’ll be in. Plus, they still have to talk to your school in Central City.”

“But they KNOW I’m coming, right?”

“Right,” Felicity said. “We told them that we picked them.”

“Okay, good.” He seemed relieved, but then was looking down at his clothing before looking up at them again. “Can I go to work with you today?” Connor asked a moment later. 

In the last few days, Connor had been opening up a lot more to them. It wasn’t just to her and Oliver. It was to John and Sara and Tommy, too. At bedtime, she’d sometimes sit and listen to him talk about his mom and how much he missed him, but he had seemed like he was doing okay with everything (at least as well as they could expect under the circumstances). 

“Sure you can,” Oliver said. “We’re going to be going to lunch with Tommy.”

“Tommy’s cool.” Connor paused for a moment. “But I get to get my backpack, right?”

Felicity just smiled and nodded. “On the way into work.”

“Good.”

“Matching lunchbox even.”

Oliver looked over at her. “Don’t they have those plastic fun ones with the sticker of whatever is the cool kids’ show anymore?”

“You’re adorable.”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“Have you always worked here?”

“No,” Oliver responded.

“Where else did you work?”

Felicity, Sara, and Diggle couldn’t help but giggle and laugh in response to Connor’s questions. She didn’t miss the quick glare that was shot her way. Oliver was at his desk, Connor sat across with his workbook, while she and the others sat on his couch doing work on tablets. “He’s just curious…” she offered.

“Did I say something wrong?”

Oliver seemed slightly frustrated, but then after a moment, he spoke up again. “No, no…it’s just…” He seemed uncomfortable again. “My family has…money…and well, I haven’t ever had to work.” He paused again. “But I spent five years on an island after my father’s boat went down.” Judging from how Oliver’s face changed immediately, Connor’s face must have scared him. “But you know, it wasn’t all bad…I learned how to do some pretty cool things…and I grew up.”

“And you would have never met us,” Felicity said with a smile.

“You’re right,” he confirmed with a return smile. 

“So, did you go to the same school I’m going to go to?” Connor asked after a moment.

“I went to a lot of schools,” Oliver said. “And I was never a good student. I didn’t take it seriously. I thought it was stupid, but I was wrong… Listen to me, Connor,” Oliver continued. “School might get hard, but it’s not something that you should slack off with. It’s important. It’s important for so many reasons…”

Connor nodded. “My mom used to always tell me that school was important…and that I needed to make good choices.”

“She’s not wrong on that,” Felicity mumbled thinking about all of the ‘bad’ choices she’d made growing up. Though, if not for the choices, she wouldn’t be where she was now. She wouldn’t trade her past for anything. 

“Can I ask Tommy questions, too?” Connor asked Oliver.

“Oh, please say that we’re ALL going to this lunch,” Sara said. “And Connor…you ask as MANY questions as you want.”

Connor seemed excited by this.

Felicity just sat back and watched. It was normal for whoever was there, John and/or Sara, to go to lunch with them but she could see that Oliver might not be so pleased with them. It was good for him, though. It was good for Connor, which was the most important. “It’ll be fun,” she told Oliver.

“Oh, it’s going to be fun,” Diggle spoke up.

“What’s going to be fun?” 

They all turned to see Tommy’s head peaking into Oliver’s office before he stepped in a moment later. He looked happy, he’d seemed so much happier since he’d proposed to Melanie and she’d said yes. They hadn’t set a date, yet, but Felicity knew it would be coming soon enough. “Sara and Digg are going to join us for lunch,” Felicity told her brother.

“And Sara said I can ask you questions,” Connor spoke up.

“What kind of questions?” Tommy asked, somewhat suspiciously. “I like to be prepared. Well, I’m learning that I like to be prepared.”

“About you and Oliver growing up.”

“Oh, I have TONS of those stories!” Tommy said with enthusiasm.

“The appropriate ones,” Sara reminded.

Felicity just smirked. Tommy suddenly didn’t seem so excited. “I’m sure you’ll think of something between now and then.”

“Do we have reservations?” Oliver asked.

“Yes!” Tommy said and seemed extremely proud of himself all of the sudden. “I think I’ve mastered the reservations online that Felicity showed me how to use. They even just called me to confirm, though…I suppose I should call them back and make sure they have a big enough table for all of us.”

“That WOULD be the responsible thing to do,” Felicity reminded. It was something that Oliver and Tommy were BOTH learning. Not to just show up and expect to throw their family names around and expect things to be done in a snap. People liked to have a head’s up, just like they all did. 

“Thirty minutes and then we’re all heading out,” Tommy said before heading out of Oliver’s office. 

“You have thirty more minutes of asking Oliver questions,” Felicity prompted. Oliver didn’t seem pleased with her, but she turned her tablet around. “Don’t worry, I already have your response to the board done as far as our thoughts on expanding Queen International.” That seemed to calm him down a bit.

“Did you go to school with your sister?”

“Some times… It depended on what grade she and I were in,” Oliver answered and seemed to be ignoring his computer. Felicity knew that there weren’t any pressing matters for him to attend to at the moment or else she wouldn’t be fueling Connor’s questions. 

“Who else did you go to school with that you are still friends with?” Connor asked. “Was Tommy ALWAYS your best friend?”

“I like to think that I’m your best friend now,” Felicity teased Oliver with a smile.

He smiled in response and ran his fingers through his hair. “I can have multiple best friends, right?”

“Just make sure you get the names right,” Diggle teased.

“Yes, Tommy’s been one of my best friends since I was your age,” Oliver told Connor. “And I went to school with Sara and her sister… They’re pretty much the only other people I know from school.”

“And that’s because we’re really good at harassing him,” Sara smirked.

“I was just wondering…because I haven’t had a best friend yet,” Connor said quietly.

“Awww…Buddy…don’t worry,” Felicity said as she got up and moved over to where he was sitting with Oliver. “You’ve got plenty of time to make friends. You’re going to go to a new school with LOTS of kids. You’ll make friends…BEST friends even… Just wait.”

“Felicity’s right,” Oliver added. “The right friends will pop up. Just be patient.”

“That was never one of your strong points,” Sara brought up.

“Still isn’t,” Felicity commented quickly.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

“You know, I think I spent so much time at Oliver’s house, Moira and Robert would have given me a room in their house!” Tommy told Connor over lunch. Things had seemed to be going well enough. Oliver had done far more laughing and chiming in to fill in stories rather than glaring. It was good. Good for Oliver and Tommy, too. The guys just didn’t have a lot of time to do things outside of the office or outside of Team Arrow. 

“Did you spend a lot of time at Tommy’s house?” Connor asked Oliver.

Malcolm Merlyn.

Merlyn Mansion.

It wasn’t exactly a fantastic subject and none of them had really talked about how they SHOULD talk about Malcolm Merlyn. Yes, he’d been a horrible person in so many of their lives for so long, but in the end…he loved his children…truly…and he died for them. How could you really talk badly about a person who sacrificed so much for what he loved the most? Felicity just stared across the table at Tommy. She didn’t know what to say and she felt a little uncomfortable. Yes, Connor should be able to ask these questions…and they should answer them…but things were complicated.

“Actually, we spent most of the time at my house,” Oliver told him.

“My dad…traveled a lot when I was younger…after my mom died,” Tommy told him. “So, that’s why Moira and Robert were like parents to me. That’s probably why Moira still thinks of me like a son.”

“Did you dad travel because he was sad?” Connor questioned.

“Yes.”

“Did that make you sad?”

“And angry…I didn’t understand. All I wanted was my dad, but it was best that way… I had a family. The Queens weren’t my blood family,” Tommy said. He was mostly right. “But they were definitely and still are my family.”

“So, should I call you Uncle Tommy then?”

Tommy was looking between her and Oliver suddenly. This wasn’t something that Connor had asked about before. They were just all excited that he’d seemed to become so comfortable with them all. That was a big thing. 

“That’s up to you,” Tommy finally responded.

“Okay,” Connor just replied and then went to dip his french fry into ranch. 

“You know what we haven’t talked about?” Oliver brought up a beat later. “All of the pranks we used to play on Thea…”

“Those weren’t all kind,” Sara told him and then laughed a little.

“But they were definitely funny,” Tommy countered.

Felicity just shook her head at them. She knew that they all had this childhood background and she liked hearing about it…but sometimes it made her long and wish that she’d been able to share it with them. Certainly, though, she wouldn’t be the person that she was then. She was Felicity Queen…but she would have never been Felicity Smoak. Still, she was certain that Felicity Smoak turned out to be a better person than Felicity Merlyn ever would have been. Would she have grown up with Tommy as her brother and been possibly close to Thea? Yes. She would have never ended up where she was, though. She just kept reminding herself of that. They’d have many years to make up for all the lost time and so far, she thought that they were doing pretty good making up for it.

“Remember that one time,” Oliver brought up and laughed before he get any of the information out. “Thea was dressed as a pirate for halloween.”

“Oh! Yes! She’d thought that WE were going to be pirates,” Tommy said. “So, she wanted to match.”

“What did you guys do?” Sara asked them.

It was sort of a relief to know that Sara hadn’t heard EVERY story. Diggle certainly hadn’t, but he’d mostly just been sitting there and laughing here and there. Felicity just waited to hear what they’d done.

“We chased her out to the pool and told her she had to walk the plank!” Oliver responded.

“And she did it!”

Tommy was laughing so hard and Oliver was trying to finish the story. “She was completely drenched! My mother told us that we were horrible and thought that she’d grounded us—“

“We snuck out,” Tommy informed them. He paused a moment later and looked at Connor. “NEVER sneak out,” he told the boy seriously.

“I think my mom was secretly relieved because she’d been so upset in the first place that her little girl wanted to be a pirate instead of a princess,” Oliver explained. “Twenty minutes later, Thea was the most pink and sparkly princess ever.”

“But she still had an eyepatch and a sword!”

“She waited until she was out of my mom’s sight! She said she was a pirate princess. Chased boys around who made fun of her for the rest of the night and stole their candy!”

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to follow me on twitter -shannyfish and tumblr - shannyfishwriter


	16. Dinner Parties and Disasters

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Sorry it's been taking me so long to update! Moving, unpacking, cleaning, organizing, new things... It's going to be for the better for me and I'm hoping that once I get truly settled that I really will be able to update more frequently (I think I've been saying that for a while now), but seriously...I will have so much more time now.

"It's going to be okay," Felicity tried to assure Connor as they entered Queen Mansion. She swore that he was more nervous because of they'd dressed up. She was wearing what she'd wear to work, a dress, which didn't really seem fancy to her just the same. Connor, though, they'd just had him change into khakis and a button up collared green and blue plaid shirt. Oliver was dressed in suit and tie, normal business attire as well. He held tight to her hand and she honestly couldn't blame him for being nervous or scared. 

"She's not THAT scary," Oliver half teased. At the very least, Connor smiled in response. Oliver took his hand now as they looked around the foyer. 

They didn't have to wait for long before Moira appeared, Walter right behind her. Felicity noticed that Moira looked extremely excited and happy to see them, well...Connor. "Oh! You're here!" She crouched down in front of Connor. "I have been looking forward to meeting you."

"Are you my grandma?" Connor asked slowly and a bit reluctantly. 

Felicity didn't miss the way that Moira crinkled her nose at the word. As excited as Moira was for having a grandchild, she really didn't appreciate the title and the feeling of being old. "YES," Felicity said quickly and likely too peppy. "This IS your grandmother." She beamed and was relieved that Walter was right there too. "And your Walter."

"Hi," Connor said quietly and waved his tablet at them.

"You are the first ones here," Moira told them. 

"Come on, Connor, I'll get you set up somewhere where you can play and charge that at the same time," Felicity said as she led him away. She figured that it was best that Oliver have a moment with his mother, mainly to remind her that she needed to behave. 

A few minutes later she returned to find that Thea and Roy had arrived. 

“Where’s Connor?” Moira asked.

“He’s in the other room,” Felicity responded slowly as she looked between Moira and Oliver. “I found an outlet so he could charge his tablet and a comfy chair…I figured he was good there until dinner or…until Tommy, Melanie, and Clarke arrive.” Moira suddenly seemed upset. She really didn’t want to play these games with her mother-in-law. If she had something to say, she really wished that she’d come out and say something. “What’s…wrong?” she finally decided that she better ask.

“I was just hoping that I’d get to spend some time with him…instead of him playing on his tablet,” Moira said with a quite a sigh as she looked towards the door.

“Or…you could spend time with your kids,” Thea brought up. When Moira looked in her daughter’s direction, she raised her eyebrows and then moved to Walter. “Walter! Have I told you how much I’ve missed you?” Thea asked him as she hugged him. 

There was obviously going to be some hostility of some kind and Felicity really didn’t want to be there to experience it, but mostly she didn’t want Moira to act like that at all. They were trying to ease Connor into the family and Moira’s way was not easing him in. She couldn’t expect him to immediately love her and cherish time with her as a grandmother. Things were still being figured out between her, Oliver, and Connor…Moira just couldn’t throw a fit like this. 

“I think I’m going to go and hang out with Connor,” Roy said. “Maybe give him some pointers on his game or something.” Roy, out of all of them, was probably the least comfortable with things in Queen Mansion. He would stand up to Moira if she was being out of control, especially if she was attacking Thea…but this was obviously something that SHE and OLIVER needed to address. So, no one stopped him from disappearing.

Thea surprisingly hung around with her arms crossed with Walter by her side.

Impromptu family meeting.

Beautiful.

Brilliant.

Lovely.

Shoot her now.

Felicity needed to sit down.

Before words could escape anyone's mouths, there was a knock at the door. Felicity moved closer to Oliver, Thea, and Walter and watched as Moira went to get the door. When Tommy, Melanie, and Clarke were revealed, Felicity didn't know if she'd been so thankful for see anyone in her life. This dinner was just about to go to hell (before they'd even actually gotten into the house and before they'd even got to the dinner part), but Tommy had saved it all. 

Everyone greeted everyone and Tommy came in to hug her. They had tried to keep things not close between them, especially in front of Melanie...it was just too much to explain. Maybe ONE day, they'd explain things to her...but not now...not yet. He hugged her just enough and stared at her for a moment. "You okay?" 

Felicity nodded. The truth was that she was exhausted. She really hoped that this fatigue thing only lasted the first trimester. This was HIS night, she knew that they were still going to have to tell Moira and Walter, even Quentin Lance already knew. Felicity was a little worried on how she'd react knowing that she'd have a grandchild on the way when she was struggling with giving the one she had the space he needed.

"Why don't we all head into the house?" Walter suggested and motioned for everyone to move further into the actual house. He was right, there was really no use in hanging around in the foyer all day long. 

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

Felicity wasn't sure it was, but something with dinner had made her nauseous. Being pregnant was not going to be easy. Luckily, she'd been able to get away with telling everyone that she'd just felt light headed. So, she'd stepped out to get some fresh air. She just wanted to sit outside and breathe. 

"Are you quite alright?"

She smiled at the sound of Walter's perfect accented voice. It was a voice that she would never tire of hearing. "Come to read me 'Harry Potter'?" she half teased as she looked back over her shoulder.

"If that'll make you feel better?" he offered before sitting on the bench beside her. 

Felicity stared at him for a moment. "Did I ever tell you that when Merlyn had us on that island...that I used to read to Thea?"

His smile spread even further across his face and he wrapped an arm around her. "Thea told you that I used to read to her…"

"We used to talk about how wonderful it would be if you would read to us...how we wished you had read all these books and we had the recordings...how much better everything sounds with you saying it," she told him as she let her head fall to his shoulder. It was so nice having Walter around. She didn't see him ENOUGH. When she was younger, she used to mourn the loss of her father, even though he wasn't dead...it was the loss of him from her life. Walter was such a good father figure, she'd sort of somehow adopted him into her life...and she was fairly sure he'd taken her in as well. 

"I would HAPPILY read to you both...or read to a recorder for you two," Walter told her. They were both quiet sitting there together. Enough time apparently had passed that Walter felt like he could ask the question again. "Are you quite alright, though? You've seemed unusually tired lately...and obviously Tommy is also concerned…"

"You should tell him."

They both straightened and looked back over their shoulders. There was Oliver standing in his suit with his hands in his pockets with just a little smile. He'd likely not only come to out to check on her, but to try to get her and Walter to return to the dinner...they couldn't make his mother suspicious...or angry. It was still Tommy's night. 

"Tell me what?" Walter asked her.

Felicity smiled a bit brighter and looked from Walter to Oliver and then back to Walter again. "I'm pregnant," she told him quietly. 

"You are?!" he immediately half questioned, but was obviously reacting excitedly. "Congratulations!" he said next as he looked between them. He was quiet then. Walter shook his head. "You have told me before Moira…"

"Let's not mention that part," Oliver told him.

"She's the last to know," Felicity said quietly and slowly. 

"I understand the reason...REASONS...I'm sure," Walter said as he smiled between the two of them. "I am so happy for you both...well, for ALL of us...but definitely for you two...you've come so far…"

And they had.

"We should probably go back in," Oliver said. "There's dessert...but you can sit in the sitting room if you're still feeling not up to it."

"Did your mom say anything?" Felicity asked him as she and Walter got up and moved towards Oliver.

Oliver shook his head. "She's a bit too focused on Tommy, Melanie, Clarke, and Connor…"

"Good."

"You ARE going to tell her, right?" Walter asked. "I mean, I'm fine with secrets...but...Moira is going to hate to know that she's last to know." He stopped and motioned for them to stop, too. "Word of advice?"

"Why not," Oliver accepted. 

"LIE TO HER."

Felicity just stared at him and her mouth dropped open. How many years had they all had one of them (or more) lie about things that just ended up hurting people? Lying to Moira Queen just didn't seem like a smart move.

"You might be right," Oliver commented.

"Really?" Felicity finally managed to push out.

"Let her think that you haven't told everyone else first," Walter said. "Just think about how she'll react knowing she's the first to know versus the last…" With that, Walter left them there to think about it.

She looked at Oliver, who was shrugging. He was definitely not helpful. "Lying seems to be a trait that gets us nowhere good…" 

"Felicity, it's my mom.."

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

It was late. 

It had been a long evening.

Tommy, Melanie, and Clarke were so excited and, of course, everyone else was so excited for them. They were definitely being welcomed into their family. Felicity was both excited and hesitant about these new additions to their family. Felicity really liked Melanie and Clarke, but it meant keeping secrets...and Felicity hated that. It was one thing if it was from a random person, but this was family...close family, even if they didn't know it. It was going to be awkward and it was going to be hard. 

"It seemed to go well," Oliver commented. 

Connor was in the back of the vehicle and he was still very much awake. So, they couldn't really talk, not freely and not honestly. It was okay, though, it wouldn't take long for them to get home and be able to talk in their room. "Clarke's pretty cool...for a girl."

Felicity just smiled and shook her head, holding back her comments about how girls can do anything that guys can...and sometimes better. They didn't have the time for all three of them to get into that kind of family discussion and she was just exhausted. The pregnancy was really going to be hard to get through the first semester and feel like she could make it through the other two. She closed her eyes and leaned against the window, she squeezed back when she felt Oliver lightly squeezing her hand. Likely, he was worried about her, but she was fine...it was just really past her bedtime.

"It's not too much farther, Buddy," Oliver told Connor.

The extremely quick jerk that came when Oliver suddenly accelerated after the stop caught her attention, but the look on Oliver's face and his barely there whispered utterings of expletives sealed in the fact that there was something wrong. His eyes were on the mirrors and so her eyes went there too.

"Oliver?" she questioned when she noticed the dark vehicle following them. 

"It's fine," he responded calmly and quietly.

Just what they needed, another car chase with Connor in the vehicle. This one wasn't equipped with a bow and arrows in a secret compartment in the trunk, however. "Oliver," she said as calmly as she could.

"We're fine," he insisted. "I don't want to endanger--"

"What's going on?" Connor asked from the back seat.

"Oliver," Felicity said again. The immediate thought was to TELL Connor about the secret they'd been keeping. He'd already seen her with a bow and arrow and they'd already been chased before. If this was going to be a common event in their lives, she felt like it was best for the boy to know. 

"I have gear in the back," Oliver informed her.

So, maybe he DID have a bow and arrows in the back in a secret compartment. 

"You and Connor drive to the Foundry--"

"You DO realize that the Foundry doesn't ever seem to be AS secure as WE think it is," Felicity pointed out. How many people had proven that they could get in quietly and easily if they so desired? 

"Sara or Diggle will be there."

She'd forgotten about that.

"Call Sara and let her know I need back up," Oliver said as the vehicle was quickly and almost violently yanked to one side and down an alleyway. 

Felicity wasn't sure how any of this was a plan or how this was going to work, since it looked like the car was still right there behind them. She got on the phone though and found herself giving Sara updates of where they were. Back-up was promised as she filled her quickly in on what Oliver was proposing would happen. 

She didn't like it.

She didn't like it one bit.

They'd already had close calls with the League.

That wasn't all, though.

Felicity didn't like not being able to contribute in more physical ways to the fight with the League. Obviously, there were reasons. She understood them, but it was still frustrating. She pulled at the button bracelet on her wrist, letting it snap against her skin. She was nervous and she was worried about Oliver, but found his hand covering hers to keep her from snapping the bracelet a moment later. 

"What's going on?" Connor asked and the worry was definitely there in his voice. "Is someone chasing us?!"

Turning in her seat, Felicity could see Connor trying to look back over his shoulder and he was definitely anxious in his seat. "Buddy, buckle up tight, okay?"

"What's happening?"

Felicity looked back and forth between Oliver and Connor. Seriously, why weren't they talking to him about what was going on? It wasn't like they couldn't explain why what they did was a secret. "Oliver," she said sternly. They didn't always see eye to eye when it came to Connor and up until this point, she was all about not telling him anything about Team Arrow and keeping him in the dark, because it was for HIS safety...but right now, he was in danger AGAIN. He needed to KNOW that things were going to be okay. 

He needed to be able to believe in a hero. 

"No," Oliver practically growled back at her.

They were definitely going to be discussing this later...when they weren't being followed...chased...or in immediate danger. She didn't care if this had to go to the team. They had talked about bringing in Melanie and possibly Clarke on things. Maybe it was just because she hated secrets. Maybe it was the stress…

"We're going to be okay, Buddy…" Felicity tried to sound confidant. She was fairly sure that it just fell flat, though. Her eyes were on the boy in the backseat and Felicity couldn't help but feeling both guilty and torn about what was going on and the lack of honest communication with him. 

"I think we lost them...for the moment," Oliver said. 

The vehicle was pulled over and the two of them were immediately out of the car, Felicity moving to get to the driver's side and Oliver getting out and heading to the trunk. Felicity couldn't leave things there, though, not with how things had been lately. She didn't want that tension to be what weighed on her mind or made her regret those moments as she had to wait to hear that her husband was okay. 

Keeping an eye out in all directions, Felicity hurried to the back of the vehicle and she was immediately getting an eye full of how close to a fully stocked armory Oliver had in the trunk in a hidden compartment, apparently hers wasn't the only one which had been overhauled. "Oliver, I'm--"

"I shouldn't have snapped--"

Before he could say anymore, she leaned in and kissed him, cutting him off. They didn't need to apologize, not with words...it just wasn't necessary. "I love you," she whispered as her lips finally left his. "Stay safe." 

"You three stay safe," he said in a whisper as his free hand pressed against her abdomen. She nodded in silent reply. It was only for a moment before he was slinging the quiver over his back and he was quickly pulling out the tools of his trade and finding a place to stash them. 

One last look and then Felicity was dashing to the front of the vehicle to get into the driver's seat. They didn't have any more time, she knew that. She'd learned that in the trade of being a part of Team Arrow. Pulling the driver's door shut, she hit the door lock and looked back at Connor. "It's really going to be okay, Buddy."

And she hoped that wasn't a lie.

"Why is Oliver getting out?" Connor questioned.

"He's--um--" Felicity stumbled. How could she explain a reasonable explanation to Connor without revealing that Oliver was the Arrow? She really wanted to tell him, but right now...it just wasn't the time. There was also the fact that right now wasn't the time to go against what Oliver wanted for his son. This was going to be something that they would have to discuss later on...when it wasn't so life and death. "It's really complicated...and...well…"

"Why is it a secret?"

"You don't like secrets, do you?" she asked as she looked into the rear view mirror just long to see that Oliver was closing the trunk. Felicity took off as soon as she could and saw a familiar figure joining Oliver as they pulled away.

"There was someone back there!" Connor shouted. "Are they going to hurt Oliver?!" 

He didn't like secrets.

Neither did she.

So, she told him the truth.

"No, that's the Canary…" Felicity explained.

"The Canary?" he questioned. 

"She's a hero."

"A girl that's a hero?" Connor asked.

"You knew about the Flash and the Arrow...but didn't know about the Canary?"

"I hadn't heard of her."

"I bet there are other heroes you don't know about." She tried not to stress about being followed, as far as she could see they weren't being followed any more. They still had to get to Diggle and the Foundry, that was the plan. Oliver and Sara would meet them there. So, for the rest of the ride to the Foundry, Felicity tried to keep Connor calm and distracted by telling him a story about the Canary. Maybe it was partially to distract herself too. 

It didn't work.

She couldn't stop worrying about Oliver and Sara.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

 

TBC…

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Don't forget to follow me on twitter (shannyfish) and tumblr (shannyfishwriter) for updates, sneak peeks, and just fun things!


	17. Not Quite as Planned

"What is this place?"

 

She wanted to tell him.

 

To tell him everything.

 

"It's the Foundry," Felicity gave him.  It wasn't the entire story, but at least she wasn't lying.  

 

They'd gotten to the Foundry okay and she'd gone into the room that had once held her world's  possessions had been boxed up in.  They'd changed it into more of a lounge/nap/snack-eating area.  Diggle had moved items around the Foundry near that area so that the doorway was obscured and would be harder to locate.  Diggle was keeping them safe, out there with a gun while she and Connor were tucked in the far corner with their backs to the couch which obscured them.  It was apparently the safest and most defensive position in the Foundry...or at least that's what John told her.

 

She hated this.

 

She hated to be hiding and not out there helping the team.  Though Felicity knew that she was doing more than hiding away, it was still hard.  Felicity had a quiver of arrows and her bow back there with her, she'd wanted to actually be able to defend herself  _ and _ Connor, if needed.  Felicity still preferred the bow over guns.

 

"Felicity?"

 

Connor's quiet voice pulled her attention to him.  She reached out and took his hand and gave it a gentle squeeze before giving him a smile.  "It's going to be okay."

 

"What's happening?"

 

Felicity pushed out a breath.  "Someone bad is trying to get to us...but we're not going to let that happen.  I promise you that."

 

"I saw the Arrow costume," Connor said.

 

"Oh, Buddy…" Felicity breathed.  "We're  _ so  _ going to have a talk about that, but after."

 

"You know the Arrow?"

 

"Yeah, you could say that…"

 

"He's going to keep us safe?"

 

"Yeah," Felicity tried to assure with a small smile.  "He is.  They all will."

 

"All?"

 

"You didn't think that he does everything alone, did you?  He's definitely got friends."

 

"Like the Canary?"

 

It was keeping him calm, so Felicity kept the conversation going.  "Exactly like the Canary," she assured as she held onto his hand.  This was all hard, but it was harder to keep secrets from him.  Connor would need to understand  _ why _ keeping the secret about the Foundry and secret identities was important.

 

The sound of gunfire wasn't unexpected, but Felicity had hoped that it wouldn't make it all the way down into the Foundry.  They really needed to think about locating a new, far more secure, far more secret base of operations.  "We're going to be fine, okay?" Felicity tried to assure Connor as she held him tightly.  She waited and hoped that it would get quieter or farther away, but it didn't.  There was an unexpected thunderous crash and Felicity immediately knew that they were no longer as hidden as they'd been before.

 

Moving carefully, she grabbed her quiver and slung it over her body so that it sat in place before grabbing her bow.  No one was going to touch or bring any sort of harm to Connor.  "You stay down," she instructed him and waited for a nod before she ventured a look over the couch.  She straightened when she saw no one.  Felicity could hear someone coming, though.  If it wasn't John, then she knew that she couldn't let them just mull around the Foundry.  Moving back so she was closer to the wall, giving her room to stand properly, she strung an arrow and aimed it at the doorway.  

 

It all happened in a blur.  An arrow came shooting straight at her and she let hers loose the moment she saw it coming.  John's voice echoed through Felicity's ears even though she didn't see him yet.

 

"Nyssa!  No!" 

 

Felicity blinked and then found herself a lot closer to the wall, the arrow had pinned her to the wall behind her.  She breathed and found Nyssa and John standing at the doorway just staring.  All of them trying to process what had happened.  She saw the look of horror on Connor's face.  Her bow feel from her grasp, the sound of it bouncing after hitting the concrete floor seemed to echo louder than she expected.  

 

"Felicity?" 

 

Sighing, Felicity reached up to her left shoulder and yanked the arrow out of the wall.  "I'm okay...but my coat's not," Felicity complained.  "I liked that coat."

 

"You're okay?" Connor asked in the smallest voice.

 

Felicity nodded after dropping the arrow to the ground.  She crouched down to prove to him that she was fine.  "And you're okay too, right?  You're safe."

 

"You're bleeding a little," he pointed out.

 

"It's just a scratch," she brushed off.  He hugged her unexpectedly and Felicity held him there for a moment.  She peered up to see John and Nyssa watching them.  "That was an entrance," Felicity told Nyssa.

 

"I hadn't meant to harm you...or your coat," Nyssa said, brushing off what had happened.  "You should be pleased that I have not put an arrow in this one," Nyssa added as she glared in John's direction, who in turn rolled his eyes at Nyssa.

 

Nyssa still hadn't been too pleased that John and Sara were dating.  Felicity supposed that she could understand that and honestly, she didn't think Nyssa would  _ really  _ cause any harm to John unless he actually hurt Sara (which he would never do).  "Nyssa al Ghul, this is Connor...Oliver's son," Felicity introduced as she straightened up and led Connor out of where they'd been strategically positioned.

 

"Oliver has a son?" 

 

"Yeah, it's new to us, too," John told her.

 

"Are you a hero, too?" Connor asked innocently.  "Like the Arrow and Flash?"

 

Felicity just shook her head and motioned to Nyssa quickly 'no' in regards to the boy obviously not knowing identities.  Nyssa seemed to get the clue quite quickly if she hadn't already had it.

 

"Some call me a hero and some call me a villain," Nyssa told him with a smirk.  She moved closer and knelt down on one knee in front of him before putting a fist to her chest.  "But I swear on my honor that no harm will come to you, Connor."

 

Connor mirrored Nyssa, balling his hand into a fist and then holding it to his chest with a smile.  "If you're helping us, you  _ must  _ be a hero."

  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


Some time later, Felicity was sitting in her computer chair (because apparently since she was pregnant everyone had decided she couldn't do anything), so she was supervising (which Roy did not approve of).  Connor was sitting beside her in a chair and she'd instructed him to tell her if she saw if Roy missed anything or hadn't cleaned properly (which Roy  _ really _ didn't approve of).  

 

"You know, I really don't know how you all expect to live  _ normal _ -ish lives with the League of Assassins constantly pursuing you," Quentin said as he unexpectedly descended the stairs with an ice cream cone in hand.  He immediately crossed the Foundry, avoiding where Roy was sweeping, and moved to hand Connor the ice cream cone.  "Strawberry."

 

"You remembered," Connor remarked with delight.

 

"It was faster than a milkshake."  His attention immediately shifted to her, arms crossed.  "Do I even  _ want _ to know?"

 

"It's not my fault, there was no provocation on our end," Felicity defended.  

 

"Actually, my father saw Merlyn's termination of Talia's life as all the provocation that he needed.  Merlyn declared war on this city in doing so," Nyssa stated.

 

Quentin whirled around.  "What the  _ heck _ are you doing  _ here _ ?"  He turned back to Felicity.  " _ Really _ ?  Who called her?"

 

" _ We need her _ ," Felicity told him seriously.

 

"She's a hero," Connor told him in between licks.

 

Quentin looked like he was about to fall over at that remark.  "She's a--"  He huffed and put his hands on his hips for a moment looking between the three of them.  

 

"It looks like they're retreating," Felicity heard Oliver's voice and before she could say or do anything to stop him, he was standing there in the Foundry dressed as the Arrow, but without the hood up or the mask on.  Sara was right behind him, still dressed in the black leather.  "Nyssa."

 

"Oliver," Nyssa replied in acknowledgement.

 

" _ You're _ the Arrow?" Connor asked and Felicity didn't miss the mouth wide in shock look on the kid's face.  Well, there was one way to tell him the truth.  She hadn't thought that it was going to go quite like that, but right now...she wasn't going to argue.

 

"Uh, yeah...so...I am the Arrow," Oliver told Connor.  It was obviously something Oliver had decided, likely on the way back.  No matter, Felicity was thankful for it.  That meant, less secrets for her to keep.  She also hated lying to the kid.  He crouched down in front of Connor.  "You can't tell anyone."

 

"Does this mean that I'm on Team Arrow now?" 

 

Felicity caught Oliver's look in her direction.  "What?  I didn't tell him to say that...or call us that…"

 

"You're part of Team Arrow, too?" Connor questioned Felicity as he turned to her.

 

Felicity beamed.  "I told you that there are girl superheroes…"

 

"And my other daughter," Lance said as he motioned over to the Canary.  

 

Sara removed her mask and in that moment of Connor looked like a kid on Christmas morning.  She just hoped that Connor would understand how important secrecy was...after all, he was a child and this was a lot to take in and grasp.

 

The only response that came from Connor was, "Whoa…"

  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


Sleep wouldn't come to her.

 

Felicity got up from bed in her pajamas and headed out into the living room.  Connor was asleep in the other room already, likely curled up with his action figures.  Oliver, however, was out in the living room with Sara, Tommy, and Thea.  They were all talking over what needed to be done, making plans, and though Felicity wasn't up for that at the moment...she still just couldn't sleep.

 

"You need your rest," Thea fussed and got up from where she'd been sitting.

 

"I'm just...it's been a long day," Felicity said as she ran her fingers through her hair.

 

"You know what you need?  Hot chocolate," Sara said and joined the fussing over Felicity group.  

 

The three of them moved into the kitchen while Tommy and Oliver seemed to just talk quietly amongst themselves.  Oliver seemed stressed and worried, but this wasn't normal...even with how their lives were.  They'd have to talk, but likely not tonight.  Thea was right, she needed to sleep.  Felicity just hoped that it came to her sooner rather than later.

 

"Also, we have cookies," Thea said as she pulled a package out of the cupboard and set them on the kitchen island before opening them.  "Well, technically...they're _ your _ cookies, but we're sharing."  Thea popped one into her mouth a moment later.

 

Sara was heating milk in a saucepan on the stove, stirring it every now and then.  Felicity just stood there with them and ate cookies.  She looked over to where Tommy and Oliver were and just watched them for a moment.  She heard them talking about needing extra protection, for her and for Connor.  They'd already upped the protection as it was, Felicity wasn't sure how much more she could take before she felt like she was being smothered.  

 

"You know, we really shouldn't be surprised...it's just more complicated now," Felicity commented.  "The League was bound to come after us…"

 

"Talking about complicated…John and Roy are in the Foundry," Thea said with a smile and looked to Sara.

 

"With Nyssa," Sara said.  "Apparently they're working together."

 

Felicity nearly choked on the cookie she was eating.  It took her a moment to recover.  "Shouldn't there be some kind of supervision?  By you or Oliver?"

 

Sara shrugged.  "I figured that Roy's got the Mirakuru...so he should be able to keep the two of them from killing each other."

 

"Yeah, did you mention the whole 'don't make a mess of the Foundry or else you'll be cleaning it up...again' side of that?" Felicity asked with a slight tilt of her head and a smile.

 

"Don't worry, I've been working on my skills of getting Roy to do whatever I want," Thea brought up with a mischievous smirk.

 

Felicity crinkled up her nose.  "I really don't need to hear about my sister and--"

 

"Hey, hey...I didn't say anything about sex...I have other ways," Thea defended quickly with a short laugh.

 

"And then there's also sex," Sara put out there.

 

Thea shrugged and tilted her head to the side.  "She's totally right."  Thea ate another cookie and then brought up a good point.  "You do realize that you're married to my brother and you're my sisters...so that's way creepier…"

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


TBC…

  
  



	18. Cute Siblings

Walking into Queen International was something that Felicity hadn't felt like doing, but it was necessary.  Oliver was at the Foundry, Roy was keeping an eye on Connor at school, and Sara was at Felicity's side...while everyone else was sleeping.  It had been a long night for them all.  The thing was, no matter what the League or Ra's al Ghul threw at them, life continued to move forward and they had to move forward with it.

 

"You're really hating life right now, aren't you?" Sara questioned as the elevator doors closed.

 

Felicity sighed, squeezed her eyes shut, and pinched the bridge of her nose.  "Why must you always remind me how much harder it is to cope without caffeine?"  

 

"Because I love you," Sara told her brightly.

 

She threw a half hearted glare in her friend's direction.  "I don't know how so many women survive so long without regular coffee…"

 

"No idea."

 

The two of them moved out of the elevator once it dinged and the doors slid open.  Tommy was already in his office and he instantly seemed confused the moment he saw them, which sent him moving in their direction.  Felicity just kept moving towards her office.  Even though an assistant was a nice thing, Felicity swore that theirs liked to listen...so she wanted to put as much distance between them and the desk as she could.

 

"Mrs. Queen, is there anything I can get you?" 

 

Nope.  

 

Couldn't hide from the young woman.

 

Of course Felicity knew that she was just doing her job.  "No, thank you though," Felicity said as politely as she could. 

 

"Coffee?"

 

"No,  _ thank you _ .  I really am fine.  I will let you know though."

 

Sara seemed to sense Felicity's frustration and seemed to have her own when it came to the assistant, she shut the door almost immediately upon the assistant being safely away from the doorway for it to be done.  With Sara seemingly guarding the door, it seemed safe to actually talk to Tommy.  

 

"You shouldn't be here," Tommy started.  

 

She'd expected that. 

 

"Actually, I'm pretty sure the office has  _ my  _ name on it," Felicity said as she motioned to the glass door of her office.  

 

"The League--"

 

"They're _ so  _ not going to answer the hundred e-mails that are already littering my inbox, have lunch with you, or pick up Connor from school…" Felicity told him matter of factly.  He didn't seem pleased by her response.  He was worrying.  It was so cute when he worried.  Not caring who was watching or what they thought, she moved towards him and hugged him.  "I'm okay," she whispered and then pulled from him and put a bright smile on.  "But I appreciate the big brother concern."   
  
"Between you and Thea, I'm going to have grey hair before my next birthday…"

 

"You do realize that you have  _ two more _ people in your life to fuss over," Felicity pointed out.  

 

Sara popped up between them now, her delicious smelling coffee in her hands wafting up to Felicity's nose.  Somehow, caffeinated coffee smelled better to her.  It wasn't fair.  "Let's not forget me…  I'm not going to let anything happen to Felicity."

 

Tommy shook his head.  "You know, life changes a lot in ten years…"

 

Felicity shrugged it off with a smile.  "Yeah, I used to be a goth hackavist on a mission--"

 

"Wait, what?"

 

"I guess there's still a lot that we don't know about each other."  It didn't bother her so much, but then...she knew a lot more about Tommy than he likely knew about her.  She was okay with that.  Felicity had always been one who sought out information and before his resurrection, Tommy had been used to chasing girls and drinking and partying...he'd also thought he was an only child.

 

" _ Please _ tell me there are pictures out there," Sara stated with amusement.

 

"Are we getting to work or obsessing over pictures that  _ may _ ...or  _ may not  _ exist?" she teased with a smile.

 

"Oh, I'm Googling this," Tommy teased.

 

Felicity just beamed.  "Do you really think that you'd be able to simply Google for it?"

 

"Not fair that you use your superior computer skills against me," Tommy countered and tried to act hurt as he put his hand to his chest.

 

Sara immediately joined in on this.  "Face it, Tommy...you still have problems figuring out your cell phone…"

 

"Not my fault...who knew you needed so much on a phone," Tommy said quickly.  "You know, there was a time where people were content with making calls and receiving text messages...maybe checking your e-mail."

 

"Don't worry, though...I'll find the pictures," Sara conspiratorially whispered Tommy's way.  Felicity just rolled her eyes in response.   
  
"Teach me your ways, Jedi Master," Felicity didn't miss Tommy answering Sara back.

  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


"Do we get to go to the secret base?"

 

"No."

 

"Do we call it a secret base?"

 

Felicity couldn't help, but smile at that.  Thea and Roy were on the couch talking quietly between the two of them.  She was cooking dinner and Connor had insisted on helping in between homework problems.  "We normally call it the Foundry."

 

"That's a weird name for a secret base."

 

"You are not wrong," Felicity told him.

 

"Why is it called a Foundry?  It's not like you find things there."

 

"Well, technically...you can find us hiding out in there," Felicity pointed out with a smile.

 

"But the club is on top."

 

"Also true," Felicity said.  "And normally I would encourage you to use your skills and look up the word in a dictionary, but I will have mercy on you today."  She continued to chop the zucchini, which was supposed to be part of dinner.  "A foundry is a factory that makes metal casings.  Before it was Verdant or the secret base of the Arrow...it was part of Robert Queen's company...a factory that produced metal casings."

 

"This sounds like a history lesson too."

 

"You are not wrong," Thea called from the couch.

 

"So," Felicity said.  "You know we're going to have really sit down and just make a menu or something for a month at a time...just you and me.  We can figure out all the things that you like."

 

"What about Oliver?" Connor questioned.

 

"He can just deal with whatever we decide," Felicity told him with a smile.  "And he probably won't even care."

 

"Is he going to be home soon?  I was hoping he'd help me with my homework."

 

Connor was completely adorable and yet, as much as she liked the picture of Oliver sitting down at the table with his son doing homework together, Felicity knew Oliver's education background.  "Does it involve arrows?" Felicity teased.

 

"No," Connor responded.  "But it has questions I don't know how to answer."

 

"Like what?"

 

"About family."

 

Oh.

 

Connor was still fairly new at his school and this was bound to come up.  There always seemed to be projects or reports that they did involving family.  Normally that would be fine, it was actually really cool because kids could see how different their friends' families.  Right now, though, this wasn't an easy thing.  Felicity pushed the knife she'd been using for chopping to the middle of the counter before crouching down in front of the boy.  She always saw so much of Oliver in him.  "Let me ask you a question," Felicity said gently.  "Do you want to do the assignment?  Or is it too hard in here?" she asked as she tapped over his heart.  It would be so easy for her to just e-mail the teacher and explain why they weren't going to have Connor do the report and maybe have him do a different filler assignment instead.  This was something that he needed to be the one to make the decision on.  They could shield him until he was well past eighteen, but he had shown that he didn't need that...and if they were going to all be a family, then they needed to be able to talk.  

 

"I want to do it," Connor insisted.

 

"So, would it be okay if maybe Thea and I helped you or do you really want Oliver to help you?" she asked quietly.  She didn't want to push their help onto him if he really wanted Oliver.  

 

Connor shrugged.

 

"How about I text him and see how long he's going to be and if it's going to be late, then maybe Thea and I can help you a little?" she suggested.

 

"Okay."

 

So, that's what they did.  Felicity texted him and then went back to getting dinner together, so they could actually eat.  Things were in the oven and microwave and Felicity was in the middle of throwing together a salad when her phone chirped to indicate that she had a text message.  She looked over at it and then over to Connor.  "He's on his way home, so it shouldn't be that long."

 

"If it asks who's the coolest aunt, it's me," Thea volunteered.

 

"It doesn't ask that," Connor said.

 

"Well, if you need to write in extra cool facts...there you go."

  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


TBC…

  
  



	19. Cracks

There was a lull.

 

A normalcy.

 

It only made Felicity feel more like it was the quiet before the storm.  She wasn't the only one.  It was hard to take things as they were, to accept that they were safe (well as safe as they could be as vigilantes by night).  The League hadn't shown their masked faces in weeks.  Nyssa was still around, though.  Sara was spending time with Nyssa and John did too here and there.  Apparently there was a lot of glaring going on as well as sparing, but so far...nothing had gotten out of hand with the three of them.  

 

There was a light knock at her door, she looked up to see Tommy's head poked into her office.  "Hey.  I was wondering who was picking up Connor today?" he asked.

 

"Uh...Sara or Digg normally call--"

 

"Do you think I could do it?"

 

Felicity stared at her brother for a moment, her face scrunched as she tried to figure out why this was being brought up.  "Don't you have--"

 

"No."

 

"Oh-kay...so I feel like there's a reason behind this," she said as she got to her feet and crossed her arms over her chest.  Felicity's eyes still on Tommy as she tried to figure out why he wanted to pick up Connor.  

 

Tommy moved further into her office and closed the door behind him.  "So, Melanie and I were talking about maybe putting Clarke in the same school as Connor.  Then, you know...they could be picked up together.  It might be good for them, right?  They'll be cousins by marriage soon enough."

 

Felicity tilted her head and smiled at that.  "When  _ is  _ the big wedding day?"

 

"The League of Assassins was just after everyone like  _ two weeks _ ago."

 

"It's been closer to four now--"

 

"That's besides the point," Tommy told her quickly, waving his hand around.  

 

"And you--"

 

"And I?" Felicity questioned, a challenging tone as her eyebrows were raised just waiting for him to use her pregnancy against her, so she could dispute it.  

 

Silence.

 

They just stared at each other.  Tommy sighed.  "I'm just saying, I haven't exactly been thinking about wedding things."

 

"You can't stop your life for the League and what  _ might _ happen," Felicity told him.  

 

"Do you practice that in front of the mirror?"

 

Rolling her eyes, she huffed a sigh.  "Go ahead and pick up Connor.  Tour the school.  See if it's the right fit for Clarke."  Everyone was on the release for Connor, just in case there was any kind of emergency.  It was sometimes hard to remind herself that life needed to continue even if the world felt like it was burning down around you, but this was a good day for her...so she wasn't going to let her brother's comment get to her.  

 

They were coming.

 

Likely soon.

 

Right now, though, they needed to keep living life.  They needed to take joy where they could.  They needed to keep the company going, which was probably the hardest part of 'keep living your life'.  She hadn't seen Oliver all day, but she knew that he was in his office, likely trying to get through all of his e-mails.  Once Tommy left, she'd go and check in on her husband.  It was just a lot for them to handle...harder to Oliver who never had wanted to take over the family business.  He'd sort of been pushed into it and even though he and Tommy had been raised together, Felicity swore Tommy had gotten some kind of training in business during those five years Oliver was 'dead'.

 

"Don't think that I'm letting the wedding planning thing go away, though," Felicity said cheerily.

 

Tommy frowned slightly.  "Is there _ really _ a need to push the date?"

 

"I'd like to  _ not _ look like a circus tent when you two actually do get married," she explained.  Right now, she wasn't too far along and wasn't showing, but she had no idea what kind of time frame the couple would come up with.  For all she knew, Tommy and Melanie would talk and it would be in two months...or maybe it would be in two years.  It was still a discussion to have."

 

"Let's get through one thing at a time."

 

"First thing's first then," Felicity said.  "You're off to school."

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


"Do you fear for your child's fate?"

 

"Nyssa!" Sara immediately chastised.

 

"What?  I can't ask such a thing?"

 

Felicity shook her head and spoke calmly.  "No, it's a valid question."  She was glad that Oliver and John weren't there, they'd have been upset by it.  Felicity knew what Nyssa met or at least she felt like she did.  "I do worry about the baby and I worry about Connor…  I worry about everyone though."  She paused for a moment to think about it.  "And besides, we're making the world a better place, we just have to have faith that that'll be this baby's future."

 

"You are quite optimistic."

 

"Someone has to be," Sara commented.  

 

They were sitting around her place, Connor was asleep, and Felicity just found herself completely exhausted.  She was hungry, but they'd opted to order in.  It wasn't there yet.  She was barely keeping her eyes open,  but she knew if she fell asleep that she'd just wake up in a bit and be starving.  Thea was at the Foundry, running things at the computers, while Sara and Nyssa had somehow become her company for the evening.  She swore that Oliver was still making sure that she and Connor weren't left alone at nights, it was silly...but at the same time...it was a comfort.  The truth was, too, that they all quite liked being together.  She and Sara could be together all day long and by the end of the night, Felicity would be sad to see her go.  That's just how they all were.  There was an ease about it.

 

"You know, you could go to bed," Sara told her as she pulled her into her arms.  

 

Felicity grumbled incoherently as she happily allowed for Sara to hold her.  Her shoes had already been long off and she'd changed into more comfortable clothes around the same time.  Her hair was down and she allowed for her eyes to slid shut as she just lay there.  "Need sustenance."  Sara's fingers moved through her hair, which only lulled her further towards relaxation and sleep.  

 

"It'll be here soon enough and I'll wake you when it's here."

 

She felt a kiss pressed against her forehead before the world slipped away from her.

  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


"You know that the war is coming...for  _ her _ ...for  _ all  _ of you, Sara."

 

"I'm aware."

 

"And yet you all just sit around, going on with your daily lives like--"

 

"What else do you want us to do?  Take the war to them?  Don't think I haven't thought about it."

 

"But--"

 

"Food?" Felicity mumbled, still half asleep.  All the talking, though, was pulling her from her nap.  She wasn't really paying attention to what had been said, she wasn't taking it in, but she mainly was concerned that Sara hadn't kept her word.  There was no way she'd make it through the entire night without eating dinner and Sara better not have just 'let her sleep'.  "You said food was--"

 

"It should be here any minute," Sara said.  This time the tone of her voice was almost sugary sweet and quiet.  "Just rest until it gets here."

 

"What are you talking about?" Felicity mumbled as she opened her eyes, staring up at Sara.  She knew that she couldn't have been sleeping for too long if the food wasn't still there.  

 

"Nothing."

 

"There was something about war…"

 

"It's going to be war if they don't deliver our food in the next fifteen minutes," Sara said brightly.

 

Felicity frowned slightly and made squinty eyes at Sara.  She stared at her for a moment and when Sara just kept the bright facade up, Felicity knew that there was no use trying to push it right now.  She pushed out a huff and moved to sit up.  "Why don't they have GPS trackers on all their delivery people so we can ping them--"

 

There was suddenly a knock at the door.  Sara popped up and headed for it while Nyssa held tight to a knife (Felicity had no idea where it had come from), ready for action in case it wasn't the delivery person.  Felicity just blinked, exhaustion and hunger and general confusion clouding her.  She wasn't like the others, she couldn't be on alert at all times, especially now…  

 

It wasn't some assassin, though, it was the delivery guy that was finally there with their food.  "We tip instead of stab here," Felicity mumbled and motioned for Nyssa to put the knife away.  

 

Sara returned with food and no food delivering assassin behind her.  "See, I told you it would be here any minute," she said far too cheerily as she set the bags on the table before pulling out the containers.  

 

A container was shoved into her hands and Felicity didn't even wait for the chopsticks, she started to pick up noodles with her fingers and eating them.  She was starving and there was just no waiting at this point.  A pair of chopsticks were shoved in between the fingers that went to snag a piece of broccoli.  Felicity frowned for a moment, but it was only a beat before she was using them to shove food into her mouth.  There were some days during her pregnancy that she felt equally hungry as she was tired.

 

What came next was something that would have gone down completely differently two years before...or even a year before.  Instead of the noodles going into her mouth, they went all over the place as well as the glass from the window.  Sara had shoved her down, but as soon as Sara and Nyssa moved, so did Felicity.  They were under fire, but it wasn't by a rain of bullets, the ammunition of choice used was arrows.  Felicity only knew that because one hit the wall she was passing, just barely missing her.  As she moved, she knew that adrenaline must have kicked in banishing the fatigue she'd been previously suffering from.  Only two things were on her mind, getting to a weapon that they had secretly stashed and protecting Connor.  

 

Pulling the closet door open, she tucked herself into it, using the door as a shield while she hurriedly and blindly felt for the hidden weapons hatch.  Felicity heard it click and yanked out the bow and quiver of arrows that were hidden in there.  Holding tight to them, she gave a quick glance and saw Sara and Nyssa both fighting against black clothed assassins.  

 

The League was back.

 

Darting into Connor's room, her eyes went first to the bed where she saw Connor still asleep though he was stirring and then her eyes moved to the window in his room.  The window and the door were the only two access points into the bedroom.  She hated this, hated to have him targeted and in the middle of it all, but Felicity knew that they could handle the League (or at least she believed that they could).

 

She and Sara had discussed this with Diggle, what to do if someone came into the house.  This was multiple someones and though they were highly trained, it would be an extra step for them to complete in order to find them.  Felicity wasn't going to let them take Connor.  Slinging the quiver over her head and putting her arm through it so that it rested on her back, she set her bow up against the wall next to the closet before opening and readying the door for what was to come next.

 

It took her a few minutes and she knew that she shouldn't be doing it, but she lifted Connor from bed and brought with him the stuffed animal he'd been sleeping with and the blanket he'd been wrapped in.  He was waking, but she kept whispering to him that he was okay and that she just needed to move him.  Setting him in the furthest back corner of the closet, Felicity grabbed her bow and set herself inside as well before finally closing the door until there was just the smallest sliver open.  She checked on Connor, kicking herself for leaving her phone on the table, and then readied her bow with an arrow on the string.  Even in the cramped space, she knew she could be ready for anyone who would threaten her family.

 

"Felicity?" 

 

Sucking in a breath, she had hoped that Connor would stay asleep through the entire thing.  That obviously wasn't the case though and as much as she didn't like to lie to Connor, right now it seemed like the more kind thing to do in that moment.  She knew that she had to start thinking like a _ parent _ and even though Connor knew about Oliver being the Arrow and what they did, he didn't need to know that their home was currently under attack by the League of Assassins.  

 

"It's okay, Sweetie," she whispered.  "We're just playing like a game."

 

"A game?" he asked sleepily.  "Why is it dark?  Where are we?"

 

"In your closet."

 

"Why?"

 

Felicity knew that she really needed to come up with all of these answers before she blurted something out.  "So, you know how your dad is the Arrow?  Sometimes we have to do like drills…sort of like how they do fire drills in schools, except it's like an emergency drill."

 

"What kind of emergency?"

 

"In case something were to happen at the house, if someone were to get in--"

 

"A bad guy?"

 

"Yeah, like a bad guy…"  It wasn't entirely a lie.  She just hoped that she'd be able to get the window that was now broken replaced before Connor wanted to eat cereal in the morning.  "So, we need to stay here and be very quiet."

 

"Okay," Connor said.  

 

After a moment, Felicity thought about the situation and how she would have been when she was Connor's age.  "And I'm sorry it's so dark in here," she whispered.

 

"Harder for them to find us."

 

"You're right."

 

It was quieter than she'd expected it to be.  Had Nyssa and Sara already taken care of all of the assassins already?  There was a loud thud and they both stayed quiet except for near silent gasps, she felt his small hand touch her arm.  Felicity wanted to take his hand so badly, but she knew that she needed to stay focused.  She needed to make sure that she was ready in case someone entered Connor's room.  

 

Shouting broke out and Felicity couldn't quite place the voices.  There was definitely a mix of male and female voices, but obviously Nyssa and Sara weren't the only female assassins that the League had turned out.  She sucked in a breath and blew it out.  Trying to keep her nerves calm felt like a losing battle.  All she could think about was how she missed Oliver.  She wasn't one for being a damsel in distress, but this was Connor... _ it was Oliver's son _ .  There was still what sounded like fighting going out and it only seemed to be making its way closer to Connor's bedroom door.  

 

Connor's hand was still there, on her arm.  She'd told him that this was all a drill, all pretend.  That wasn't the truth and she didn't want that to come out to him.  Felicity wanted to keep him sheltered, at least from this.  He was still so young and didn't need the nightmares or the worries.  He'd already been through enough at his age.  

 

Silence.

 

The lack of noise only made her more tense.  She still had the arrow nocked in place on the bowstring at the ready.  Her heart was beating so fast and all she could think was how she was going to protect Connor.

 

Heavy footfalls.

 

Breathe.

 

Air in.

 

Air out.

 

The door opened.

 

Breathe.

 

She used her arm to sweep Connor back as far as he could into the corner, before pulling back the bowstring fully.  Felicity was just thankful that Connor didn't have a lot in his closet and that it was a good size one.  This wouldn't have worked in some of the other closets she'd had in her life.  

 

Breathe.

 

Footfalls.

 

Closer.

 

Closer.

 

Felicity sucked in a breath as the footfalls came to a stop right outside the closet door.  She couldn't see much from the tiny sliver of light that was shining in.  All she'd seen was a shadow of someone.  They were tall, though she wasn't entirely sure if that was just because of her positioning on the floor of the closet. 

 

The slight sound of rattling metal.

 

A hand was on the closet doorknob.

 

Aim.

 

Felicity pushed out the breath and instantly let loose her arrow as the door was opened.  It all happened in a flash, the lights were turned on and she heard her name being called by a familiar voice near the door and in the split second that she looked back she realized who'd opened the door.  She let out a mixed scream of terror and of fear, "Oliver!"

 

Thud.

 

He had moved to the side just enough to avoid it, even though the light had still been off when she'd launched the arrow in his direction.  Felicity felt like she was going to throw up at the thought that she'd just nearly killed her husband in front of his son, her head was spinning.  Dropping the bow to the ground, it clattered and clanged, and she stumbled a step forward.

 

"Whoa…" was Connor's only response.

 

"Hey," Oliver breathed as he wrapped an arm around her, supporting her.  Her eyes met his and she knew that everything was okay.  He wasn't angry, though she was upset with herself in that moment.  It was clear that he was glad that his only concern had been that she and Connor were safe.  "You guys okay?" he asked and they both looked back to Connor.

 

He was standing in the closet doorway now.  He actually looked extremely thrilled rather than scarred for life.  "Can I keep it?" Connor asked.

 

"What?" Oliver questioned.

 

Connor pointed behind them, above his bed about three feet was where Felicity's arrow had ended up embedded in his wall.  "That."

 

"Oh…"  Now Oliver seemed to be looking for the right thing to say.

 

"Does that mean that we didn't win the game, Felicity?" Connor now asked with concern.

 

Felicity looked over to where Diggle and Sara were peeking in before looking back at him.  "Oh no, it means we totally won…  We were the last ones to be found and I would have totally...arrow-ed...anyone who tried to get in here," Felicity said stumbling a bit with her words.  She thought that arrow-ed sounded a bit better than killed or murdered or anything else she could come up with.  "Highfive," she said as she held out a hand.  Connor immediately lit up and highfived her.  Well, at least they were past that.  Now was going to come the harder part.  "But...now you have to get back into bed."

 

"But--"

 

"The arrow can stay in the wall, but you've got to go to bed, okay?" Felicity asked.  "You can even have ice cream on your waffles in the morning."

 

"Really?"

 

"And sprinkles," Felicity said.  

 

"Really?!" Connor and Oliver asked at the same time, they both had different tones.  

 

"Yep," she said firmly.  

 

"Okay!" Connor agreed and hurried towards his bed.  

 

Easier than she'd thought.  She was certain that Oliver was confused with her negotiating right there, but they'd all just been nearly killed and she'd kept Connor from knowing that there'd been a League attack on their place so she thought it was well deserved.  Felicity stumbled towards where Diggle and Sara were waiting at the door and she was immediately pulled into an embrace by Sara, who then started to check her over once they were out of sight.  She didn't miss Diggle coming out with the bow and then placing it back in the hideaway.  Sara stripped her of the quiver and handed it over to Diggle who placed it with the bow before closing the closet door.

 

"You okay?" Sara asked.

 

Felicity just nodded and then looked around.  Sighing, she was far too used to the post-assassin phase of things.  It meant a lot of cleaning up.  The living room was trashed.  The windows on the one side were completely busted.  There were far too many arrows in walls and elsewhere.  "How are we going to fix this all before Connor gets up?" she asked as she moved to look for her phone so that she could call the 24/7 glass service.  She found her phone underneath her noodles which were all over the floor, she brushed off the noodles and sighed.  Her phone was still working, but her screen was completely cracked.  It would work until she could get a replacement, it was just going to be annoying.  "Great," she mumbled.  "Dinner wasn't even freaking saved…"

 

"Okay, come on," Sara said as she pulled her until she was straight up.  "Let's get you to sit down."

 

"I have to call to have the windows replaced--"

 

Sara sat her down in the nearest clean area and took the phone from her.  "I'll do it."

 

"And we need--"

 

Nyssa was the one to interrupt this time.  "Who is Donna?"

 

Felicity's eyes snapped to where Nyssa stood at the other end of the living room, an arrow in her hand with a piece of paper attached to it.  She suddenly felt like she couldn't breathe.  Her head was spinning even more than it was before.  "Donna?  Donna Smoak?  My mother…"

 

"She is being held by Ra's al Ghul."

  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


TBC...


	20. Sleepless Night

"Did you sleep?"

 

"No," Felicity responded without looking at him as she sipped on decaf coffee while looking at the newly installed windows.  Connor would be up at any moment.  "Did you?" she asked as she turned to look at Oliver.

 

"No."

 

"Sara made coffee," Felicity said as she motioned towards the pot on the counter.  

 

He sat down next to her instead of pouring himself a cup.  "I wanted to make sure you were okay," Oliver spoke softly, his hand on her back.  "Diggle, Roy, and I went out...but we haven't seen any signs of the League, Ra's, or your mother…"

 

"I tried to hack into her e-mail," Felicity whispered as she stared out the window.  "She's had the same password for years now…  Hasn't ever changed it.  She bought the ticket after we talked last."  She sucked in a shaky breath and looked down into her cup of cold coffee.  "I even hacked her phone.  She hasn't quite figured out texting...still."  It was almost funny, if her mother hadn't been being held captive by Ra's al Ghul.  "She had almost texted--"

 

" _ Almost _ texted?"

 

"It doesn't look like she always remembers to hit send," Felicity explained.  "Like I was saying, she almost texted one of her friends going on about how excited she was to come out here.  How she wanted to fix things between her and I.  How she'd always regretted what had happened between us."  She went quiet.  "I don't want to lose her, Oliver…"  Her eyes turned to him.  "I didn't have the best relationship with her...and...and I've already lost Malcolm...I don't think I can lose her too," she told him shakily, her voice breaking when she said Merlyn's name.  Even though he was horrible and did appalling things to her...he was still her father...and he'd loved her...and Tommy and Thea...in his own twisted way.  He had love for all three of them, he was just broken and hadn't known how to show it.  He'd given his life for his children.  Felicity just couldn't lose another parent.  

 

"We're going to get her back," Oliver promised.  "Ra's al Ghul is going to know better than to mess with our family…"

 

"He could have killed us all tonight," she whispered the reminder.  Sara and Thea had cleaned everything up in the apartment and were now out getting breakfast, Sara had insisted that Felicity eat something since her dinner had been interrupted.  "That entire time I was in that closet with Connor, all I kept thinking about was keeping him safe...I didn't once think about myself or the baby...does that make me a bad person?  A bad mother?" she questioned as tears fell from her eyes, though she felt numb to them.  

 

"Hey, no…" Oliver was obviously trying to soothe in his whisper voice that he only used with her, Thea, and Connor.  He pulled her into his arms and she just let her head rest on his shoulder.  "No," he said more firmly this time.  Her fingers curled into the stiff fabric of his jacket.  "You might not have been thinking of yourself or the baby, but you more than proved that you were keeping all three of you safe in that closet," Oliver said.  

 

"I could have killed you."

 

"Yeah, but you didn't."

 

"How did you know?"

 

"I didn't."

 

"That doesn't make me feel any better," Felicity commented as he held her.  

 

Oliver pressed a kiss to her head.  "I don't think it's going to feel better until things are set right," he breathed.  "We're going to get your mother back, Felicity, I promise you that."

  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


"Why are you here?"

 

It was something she'd asked herself on moments before when the elevator doors had closed, as she moved towards her office all she wanted to do was to be able to hold herself together for a little longer.  Even though she'd complained about it, today her bodyguard was Diggle.  Oliver was stationed at Connor's school with Roy in tow.  Sara and Nyssa were out patrolling the city in civilian clothing.  Diggle had told Thea that someone had to slept, so it was her.  

 

Tommy was following her into her office, but that was a normal thing.  No matter how much they were supposed to keep the fact that they were siblings from the public, they couldn't keep the worry from permeating through their feelings for the other.  Felicity felt like Tommy especially felt an extra sense of guilt over things and his feelings of protectiveness for her and Thea were only heightened.  

 

"I would just give her space," she heard Diggle tell Tommy.  

 

"Good morning, Mrs. Queen," the far too beautiful and cheery assistant greeted as she stood up.  "Do you want me to get you anything?"

 

Felicity just wasn't ready to deal.  

 

Diggle, though, apparently stopped because after setting down her purse, she found Tommy standing in her office with her with the door closed behind him, his arms crossed over his chest, and she could see Diggle on the other side of the glass talking to the assistant.  He was waiting and she knew that he wanted all the answers to all of his questions, probably the first two were why they hadn't called him and then why she wasn't home sleeping (or in the Foundry sleeping).  

 

"There's still work to be done here," Felicity started.  "And with Oliver not in the office--"

 

"Felicity--"

 

"Tommy,  _ look _ ," she said as she squeezed her eyes shut and held up her hands.  "I'm completely and utterly exhausted in pretty much every way possible.  I almost shot Oliver last night.  I've haven't eaten nearly enough in the last twenty-four hours.  I can't have caffeine and right now I just want my supportive brother rather than the overly protective one," Felicity finished as she opened her eyes and pretty much collapsed onto her couch.  At least the thing was padded and comfortable, she'd made sure of that when they'd been setting up their offices.  

 

Silence.

 

It was like something clicked or that was just what he needed to hear.  Tommy was so ready to get on board with being the overprotective brother, but Felicity had become quite used to taking care of herself and taking care of others.  Being protected or cared for was something she was still learning and it was far easier to let in Oliver, Diggle, Sara, and Thea simply because she'd known them longer than Tommy.  Her brother crossed the room and sat silently sat down next to her.  He reached out and took her hand, normally she wouldn't allow it because...glass walls and the last thing they needed was to end up on some tabloid's front page, but right now...she appreciated the gesture and the silence.  

 

"Oliver told me that they have your mom," Tommy finally spoke up.

 

"I haven't seen her in years...and...and it's my fault," she said, barely able to keep it together.  

 

"They're looking for her."

 

"Yes."

 

"You need to sleep, Felicity," he whispered as he squeezed her hand.  "Even if it's just for a few hours.  Why not eat something, check the e-mails, and then nap for a little bit?"  Tommy was gentle and quiet with his suggestion.  "I'll look at Oliver's stuff and I'll try to pick up the slack--"

 

"It seems like we've been doing that since we merged the companies," Felicity pointed out.  

 

"Maybe we need someone else we can trust who can help handle things," Tommy suggested.  "Hasn't Walter said that he'd step in before?"

 

"Yes, but he does have a job--"

 

"Well then maybe he can suggest someone?" 

 

It wasn't a bad idea.  "I just...I won't let the League win," she whispered as she stared at him.  "They attack our family, that's fine, we attack them right back...and we're going to get my mother back, but we can't let what we have...the life that we live on a daily basis...in crumbles when we finally are done with all of that."

 

"I get it," Tommy replied with a nod.  "But you also need to take care of yourself."

 

And she knew that.

 

Diggle entered her office and closed the door without a word or a knock.  The door being closed was generally so that the assistant couldn't overhear on their conversations.  It was something that she swore only happened in her office.  "Your assistant is going to have food delivered," Diggle said.  "And Nyssa and Sara texted to say that they have a lead, but they had to wait until night to investigate it fully...so they're going to crash at the Foundry for a few hours."

 

"We all need to sleep," Felicity said.

 

"That's true, but you should nap now.  Food will take at least an hour."

 

"I could catch up on paperwork in that time," she pointed out.  Diggle seemed to just frown at that.  "E-mails have to be returned and such...then I can eat and lay down for a bit."

 

"You promise?"

 

"Unless I fall asleep at my keyboard first," she mumbled to herself.  Right now, it felt like it might be a highly likely thing.  Though Felicity knew that she wouldn't allow it, she'd force herself to stay awake, just to get things done.  

 

"Well, then let's get you through e-mails and I'll start going through Oliver's stuff," Tommy spoke up a moment later.  "Do you want me to work in my office or yours?" he questioned.

 

Felicity was certain that Tommy only asked this because he wanted to be protective and be close by, but he was trying to give her a choice in it.  "I think I'll be okay, unless you're really afraid that I'm not going to be safe in here...with Diggle…"

 

"He's going to nap."

 

Diggle shrugged and made himself comfortable on the other couch that had a throw and a pillow.  "Like she can't take care of herself."

 

"If you really must," Felicity told her brother as she got to her feet.  "Just know that if your lack of typing or computer skills grates at me, I have like no patience or nerves left."  She shrugged.  "So...up to you…"

 

"Is this like a warning where I risk my life if I come in here and work at your desk with you with my less than stellar skills?" Tommy questioned, obviously slightly amused by it.  

 

"Yes," Felicity said seriously and without skipping a beat as she made her way over to her desk chair. 

 

"Maybe I'm willing to risk it…"

 

"I don't like your odds, Man," Diggle put in his two cents from his nap spot on the other couch.

 

Tommy just looked extremely hurt as he moved away from Felicity's one couch and headed out of her office, leaving the door open.  She just shook her head and turned to her waiting e-mails and the list of everything she had to finish before food got there.  

  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


Somehow by the end of the day, everyone had managed to get at least a handful of hours of sleep.  It hadn't been easy, there had been a lot of nap staggering, but they'd done it.  Felicity felt a little clearer, but she was still so tired.  There was a new energy behind being in the Foundry for her.  It was odd, though, because they had Connor staying with Tommy, who was having dinner with Melanie and Clarke.  Her brother hadn't been thrilled, he'd wanted her to be someone else...somewhere far away that he felt was safe and secure, but Felicity couldn't do that.  

 

Staring at her suit, she wondered if she would still fit into it.  She'd really not gained any weight and she wasn't really showing.  Felicity already knew that if she asked or said anything about going into the field that she'd be immediately shot down.  

 

But this was _ her  _ mother. 

 

"Do you seriously think they're going to let you go out with them?"

 

The voice was unexpected, but the words weren't surprising.  She turned to see her sister standing there only a few feet away.  "I can't just stand back while my--"

 

"You're pregnant, Felicity, and you're talking about going toe to toe with Ra's al Ghul and the League of assassins?  What if something happens?"

 

"Oliver, Sara, Roy, Diggle, and Nyssa are all going out there to face Ra's and his assassins on my behalf to get my mother back...why shouldn't I go with them besides being pregnant?"

 

"You know women in the military--"

 

"You aren't those women, Felicity, you're the head of our combined households," Thea told her without missing a beat.

 

Felicity just blinked for a moment before confusion clouded her face.  "What?"  All she could think was that Moira was still very much alive and she definitely would fight anyone who would say that she wasn't the head of the Queen household.  And--

 

"You are the heart and soul of this team, this family, and no matter what last name you claim or take...that's never going to change," Thea told her.  "You're the one who has to be protected for the sake and sanity of everyone else."  She shrugged.  "It's not about protecting the queen because she's fragile because we all have seen you...you'll kick ass...but if you're out there--"  Thea paused for a long moment before finally continuing.  "If you're out there, then they're not going to be able to concentrate.  Their focus will split and that will be dangerous for all involved."  Thea crossed her arms over her chest.  "Plus, it's not like you won't be contributing...you'll be here.  Watching the entire thing and calling every single call even though Oliver will think that he's the one in charge."

 

"You give me far too much credit," Felicity told her sister.

 

"It's the truth," Thea told her as she moved a few steps closer.  "And one day...you're going to really realize that.  You're the glue that holds us all together, the light in this gloomy place, and the one who keeps us from falling into dark corners."

 

Felicity tilted her head and just smiled at her sister as she shook her head a bit.  "You fall into a dark corner?"

 

"There's still so much that you don't know about me...about all of us," Thea told her.  She reached out and placed her hands on Felicity's upper arms.  "You're truly the best one of us all...and you don't even know it yet."  Thea pulled Felicity into her arms and held her, her fingers going through her sister's hair.  "Please don't go…  I don't want to lose you."  Thea's voice broke now in the hushed tone.  "I  _ can't  _ lose you."

 

And all she could do in that moment, besides hugging Thea, was to think about her sister's words.  

  
  


*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


Oliver and Sara were both suited up and on motorcycles while Diggle and Roy followed behind in the van.  Nyssa had gone on ahead.  All Felicity could think as she watched from the safety of the Foundry was that she should be out there with them.  It wasn't even about suits, it was about being able...and she was.  As much as she hated it though, Thea was right...she'd seen Oliver's face when she'd been looking over her bow when he'd entered the Foundry...and then the look of relief when she'd said that she'd be watching them from the Foundry.  It hadn't just been Oliver, though, she'd seen it in all of them, even Nyssa.

 

Felicity was thankful that at least the area they were headed towards had a good amount of cameras, it meant that she could be more with the team even though she wasn't there.  She also had monitoring going on at Tommy's, just in case a move was made against him and/or Connor.  She didn't want to leave anything unthought of.  "Are you  _ sure _ you don't want me to bring Quentin in on this?  Or at least... _ maybe _ ...apprise him of what we're doing?  Or that the League is  _ definitely _ in town,  _ including  _ Ra's al Ghul?"

 

His voice didn't come over the comms right away, but when it did, he sounded slightly irritated.  "No, I think we're good for the time," Oliver finally said.  "I don't want to possibly bring the police into this and there be some kind of miscommunication that leads to casualties."

 

That was a good point though, when police were called in it wasn't always as smooth as it should be.  Either someone wasn't listening to instructions or they'd missed them because their radio was off.  They couldn't risk it.  She was just nervous about her mother.  

 

With no contact with Nyssa or any idea where she was, Felicity had yet to pick her up on any of the cameras.  They were just supposed to be heading to the same location she was at.  "Maybe we should play this safe," Sara spoke over comms.  "Oliver and I go in first...Digg and Roy stay back, just in case."

 

"You don't think Nyssa would double cross us, do you?" Roy brought up.  

 

Felicity was just glad that comms were open.  It made her feel less out of the loop.  She wanted to know everything that was going on and she knew that once they got closer to the location that she'd be able to keep tabs on them less and less.  The building that they'd be going into would leave her blind and the closest camera was some ways off.  

 

"No," Sara replied instantly.

 

Even though she knew that Oliver wasn't one hundred percent sure about Nyssa helping them, Felicity was certain that they wouldn't be double crossed.  Nyssa had fought with them, she wouldn't just turn her back on that.  If anything, Felicity was certain that she wouldn't do it in case there was any way of winning Sara back (and away from Diggle).  

 

"Let's go with Sara's plan," Oliver voiced.  

 

"How far back do you want us?" Digg questioned.

 

"Here is good."

 

"That's a whole block between us."

 

"Ra's will have his people all over the place," Sara explained.  "They'll not be seen.  They'll have a perimeter set up, the farther back you two are, the better so that you're not noticed."

 

That was it.  There was no other conversation, but Felicity could see on her monitor that Oliver and Sara had left Diggle and Roy and were heading for the building that had been earlier identified by both Sara and Nyssa.  It was only a minute more before Oliver and Sara disappeared from her sight.  Felicity didn't like it and was working on hacking a satellite to repurpose and use for thermal imagining.  "Sorry, ARGUS," she whispered as she typed away.  She knew that ARGUS didn't appreciate her hacking their satellites, but theirs was the one that was closer and more convenient.  

 

"What was that?" Digg asked.

 

"Nothing," Felicity replied back.  "I'm just borrowing an ARGUS satellite.  Thermal readings…"

 

"Waller's not going to appreciate that," Oliver replied.  "What do you see?"

 

"You and Sara are definitely not going to be alone in that building.  There's got to be at least twenty bodies in there," Felicity told them.  Her fingers kept flying across the keys, trying to see if she could do anything to get a better number for him, maybe figure out which one was her mother.  "Look,  _ normally _ I'd say that you and Sara would be fine...but we're talking  _ assassins _ who are part of the  _ League _ of Assassins."

 

"Nyssa's also here," Sara chimed in.

 

Felicity took a moment to try and calculate that in.  Even with Digg and his gun...and mirakuru powered Roy...she still worried about them...and her mom.

 

"We'll be careful," Oliver spoke up, confident.

 

It didn't ease her worry.  

 

She didn't have eyes in there.  The thermal scan wasn't enough.  It only gave her a peek.  Felicity's stomach was in knots and she found herself unable to sit down.  She started to pace, waiting to hear something.  

 

Anything.

 

The longer that comms stayed silent, the the more desperate she got to be out there in the field with them.  She stopped and stared at the glass case that contained her suit, the one that she'd not worn for a while.  She remembered Thea's words, but what else could she do?  She knew that Diggle and Roy were there, but still…  

 

"I think we see your mom," came Oliver's voice.

 

It startled her and she turned away from the case.  She touched her headset button.  "How does she look?  Okay?"

 

"She's alive," Sara confirmed.

 

"Can you get to her?" Felicity asked as she pressed her finger to her lips.  Her mother probably didn't even understand what was going on, unless Ra's al Ghul told her.  Even then, she wasn't sure her mother would believe it.  It had been so long...and Felicity had so many regrets...and she was certain that her mother did as well.  She just couldn't lose someone else.

 

Silence.

 

"Oliver?"

 

Silence.

 

"Sara?"

 

Silence.

 

"I think they cut comms," Diggle spoke up.  "I can see Sara from here."

 

Why would they cut comms?  

 

Her head spun and all she could think of was all the bad things.  She couldn't just stand there doing nothing, so she reached into the case and pulled out her suit.  It was time to suit up, grab her bow and quiver, and head to back them up.

 

*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*~*

  
  


TBC…

  
  



End file.
